In this #BreadandNet 2020 session Dima Jweihan from The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Nahla Hamdani from WeYouth, and Lina Jarrous from Seeds discuss the online presence of civil society organizations and cyberlaw, moderated by Lisa Vermeer. Today, almost all civil society organizations (CSOs) have an online presence. This[...]
In this #BreadandNet 2020 session, Fahd Batayneh, ICANN’s Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager (Middle East) explains the domain name system; i.e. top-level domains, domain names, and root-servers. Batayneh shares some statistics on the surge in DNS queries during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Then, he discusses the work undertaken by the domain name[...]
Tunisian police summoned fashion designer Myriam Bribri on October 8 following her involvement in protests against poverty, inequality and police brutality. Since this was not the first time she has been targeted for her activism, Bribri was less than surprised. Yet, now she was being summoned in for posting[...]
There is no doubt that the power Big Techs possess over society is “big.” It is ironic how a deregulated sector is regulating societies, a job that is mandated to the law. The power that Big Techs accumulate, enables them to impose their own standards and policies on the whole[...]
This report analyzes data protection and privacy laws in Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. Joey Shea, a researcher and analyst specialized in security and political repression, documents the deployment of COVID-19 contact tracing applications in these states. The report, which was supported through CYRILLA’s Applied Advocacy and[...]
The life of Moroccan police officer Wahiba Khourchech was turned upside down after exposing her boss for stalking and intimidation. After filing a sexual harassment complaint against regional security chief Aziz Boumehdi, Khourchech had to endure traumatizing repercussions. Retaliatory actions went as far as videotaping her naked while with her[...]
We have witnessed in the last couple of years a striking increase in the number of devices seized by security agencies in Lebanon, a phenomenon that became more pronounced following the October 2019 uprising. When it comes to these seizures, the legal framework is vague and often exploited or circumvented[...]
SMEX is looking for an Event Manager to lead and implement Bread&Net, the annual SMEX unconference on digital rights in the MENA region. The manager will be responsible for organizing and hosting the 2021 edition of Bread&Net which will take place around November/December. Responsibilities: Project the vision and the[...]
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[...]
We are organisations working globally to strengthen democracy and human rights. Today we are demanding that Facebook, Google, and Twitter urgently demonstrate the concern they have claimed toward democratic processes in the United States to the remaining 96% of humanity. Immediate action is needed to avoid further aiding and abetting[...]
