Report any telecommunications outage that happens in Lebanon by filling out this form. We will use this information to update the map. Lebanon is experiencing a financial crisis that is damaging all sectors in society, including telecommunications. In addition to an increase in power cuts across the country, SMEX has[...]
Earlier today, SMEX’s former editorial director, Lara Bitar, published a tweet showing that her author page had been removed from our website. At the beginning of this year, while migrating to a new website, we decided that in light of the digital security threats that were becoming more prevalent in[...]
The blog-publishing service Blogger (*.blogspot.com) is blocked in Lebanon on the 3G networks of both mobile operators, Alfa and Touch. The Ministry of Telecommunications’ continues to block websites without warning, which constitutes a violation of citizens’ right to free expression and access to information. On June 2, we were alerted[...]
Jawaker, a mobile application that witnessed an increase in popularity during the COVID-19 crisis period, has many privacy and security issues. Based out of the United Arab Emirates, Jawaker provides popular card games, like 400, Leekha, and Tarneeb. It also provides many in-game chat features between users, and gives them[...]
On April 30, 2020, The Lebanese General Prosecutor ordered the Ministry of Telecommunications to compel all internet service providers to block 28 applications, claiming that these applications were spreading false information about the “unofficial” exchange rate between the dollar (USD) and the Lebanese Lira (L.L). We condemn the General Prosecutor’s[...]
This article appeared first on MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab Region . “It was my mistake and I am sorry.” This is what Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg told the US Congress back in 2018 when asked about the data misuse by Cambridge Analytica to publish targeted political ads to Facebook users[...]
Surveillance cameras are spread in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, with unparalleled chaos. While the responsibility of who manages the data produced by those cameras is unclear, an even bigger question is, what purpose do they serve? The Municipality of Beirut operates more than two thousand public cameras, which record videos[...]
As the Covid-19 virus continues to spread across the world, governments are adopting surveillance measures to track patients, raising privacy concerns. Lebanon, like many other countries, has launched digital tools to help diagnose and monitor the spread of the outbreak. The tools launched by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health[...]
With the spread of COVID-19, many firms, organizations, and universities have adopted work from home policies and more people than ever are using online conferencing tools. Zoom, one of the platforms that has gained the most popularity recently, has a number of privacy issues, including monitoring computer activity and collecting[...]
With more countries announcing a state of emergency in response to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, organizations have begun adopting “work from home” policies. The number of organizations taking this approach will likely increase going forward and users and organizations must pay attention to their digital safety while working from[...]
