The Lebanese government’s response to Covid-19 was deeply affected by the failing economy and political unrest, both of which the government helped create. The government’s haphazard lockdown strategy, which shifted based on the political mood, was ultimately ineffective as the government did not develop a long-term strategy to deal with[...]
In a decision to expand their global network with new cloud regions, Google announced in December 2020 that Google Cloud will deploy and operate a Cloud region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This decision is a result of an agreement between Aramco (Saudi Petroleum giant) and Google, after[...]
SMEX calls upon public bodies and private companies to respect the privacy of vaccine-seekers and to abide by the laws in force, particularly Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data. Lebanese company Pharmaline is supplying COVID-19 vaccines to the private sector in Lebanon, and it has published its[...]
On February 16, the Tunisian Minister of Transport and Logistics, Moez Chakchouk, announced the launch of public consultations on the draft government order concerning the operation of remotely piloted aircraft in Tunisia. The Minister’s tweet promises that the government will take into account the views of citizens before approving[...]
An internet without censorship and control is unattainable for Syrians today. Local and international restrictions have deprived those living in Syria of unrestricted access to world news, websites and references—a right most of us enjoy freely. The government has many websites censored and other countries have imposed their own restrictions, [...]
Launched around the initial lockdown phase in March 2020, Clubhouse has become a space for virtual audio hang-outs and more serious controversial debates. Participants voiced their opinions about the Gulf’s normalization of Israeli ties, racism, and transgender rights. This kindling of a sense of connection through the intimacy of voice[...]
With the surge of Covid cases in Egypt, the government imposed further restrictions on the freedom of expression and opinion. The Egyptian State monopolized the term “real news,” constraining it to news issued by official authorities only. Any other news would be deemed fake and prosecuted before the public. Between[...]
On Monday, March 16 2020, the Ministry of Education in Morocco decided to halt classes across all departments and divisions, as part of the precautions aimed at limiting the outbreak and spread of COVID-19. While Morocco was one of many countries to resort to the complete or partial closure of[...]
As the Lebanese economy continues to deteriorate, the unofficial exchange rate between the dollar and the lira, officially pegged at $1 USD to 1,507.5 L.L since 1997, reached a peak of $1 to L.L10,500 earlier in March. The record high exchange rate was accompanied by nationwide protests. The Lebanese government,[...]
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[...]
