In Lebanon, passports, drivers’ licenses, work permits, residency permits, and humanitarian aid all use systems that require biometric data, such as unique fingerprints or iris scans of citizens, residents, and refugees. In 2017, the newly passed electoral law stated that voters would use “magnetic voting cards” to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections, but the …
SMEX recently conducted research to assess the transparency of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Lebanon. Upon gathering information regarding licensed service providers in Lebanon through the Ministry of Telecommunication, we found that there are 114 licensed ISPs in the country: 39 ISPs have websites 4 ISPs have a privacy policy on their website 3 of …
Over the past four years, Lebanon has witnessed a crackdown against freedom of expression online. The state has penalized citizens, journalists, and civil society representatives who criticize government officials or mock religious figures, worsening the overall environment for free speech online. In our newest report, “Analyzing Freedom of Expression Online in Lebanon in 2018,” we …
New Report: ”Analyzing Freedom of Expression in Lebanon in 2018”Read More »
As part of the 16 Days Against Gender Based Violence, we are releasing our new report “Online Privacy Threats to Women and the LGBTIQ Community in Lebanon,” which documents the state of digital privacy for women and LGBTIQ individuals in the country. We found that although the digital space can be useful for creating safe …
Online Privacy Threats to Women and LGBTIQ Communities in LebanonRead More »
Feature image via Oakla: The internet speed chart in August – Lebanon. Yet, it is interesting that many of the Arab countries have improved mobile internet speed, but they rank lower in fixed broadband as Lebanon, Egypt and Algeria are towards the bottom of the list. Mobile network ranking Lebanon had jumped 8 rankings from 35th …
Mobile internet speeds up the Arab countries, but fixed broadband lags behindRead More »
Feature image April 2018: A screenshot of the API used to track social media posts. SMEX and LADE collaborated to monitor candidates’ social media speech during the most recent Lebanese parliamentary elections. The increasing role of social media in shaping public opinion – especially during national elections – goes hand in hand with a rising …
In the context of growing government control of mobile networks and a lack of transparency by both governments and companies in making these controls visible, this report, “Dependent Yet Disenfranchised: The Policy Void that Threatens the Rights of Mobile Users in Arab States” seeks to document the public disclosure of key policies by all …
Feature image via Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch: A large watchful eye observes as three laptops display information on their screens. (Beirut) – Lebanon’s general prosecutor should investigate reports of secret large-scale surveillance tied to a Lebanese intelligence agency, seven human rights and media organizations said today. Privacy and surveillance researchers on January 18, 2018, released a report …
Feature image via Citizen Lab: Tag cloud of bait content topics used by Stealth Falcon showing a strong emphasis on political topics and narratives critical of the UAE government. In this month’s volume, we look at new research from Citizen Lab and provide updates on trials in the region. ACCESS & INTERFERENCE In mid-May, the …