In May 2010, Arab Techies and SMEX partnered to convene a 4-day workshop for 34 female technologists and activists from 10 Arab countries. During the gathering, the women networked with each other, shared expertise and presented about ongoing projects, and discussed the role of gender in professional and community development. Participants included programmers, web developers, artists, teachers, …
MADskills—MAD stands for media for advocacy and development—was our response to a demand from Lebanese civil society leaders and new young activists for training on how to use digital and social media strategically to achieve their goals. The seven-month program consisted of eight offline/online training modules, in English and Arabic, that covered basic Internet skills, social …
Shou Osstik? was a new media pilot training program for women from the north, south, Bekaa, and Beirut regions in Lebanon. The program amplified the voices of Lebanese women, especially those who live outside Beirut. During the program, participants met once every three weeks at a local computer center to learn digital storytelling and basic social …
In fall 2014 SMEX launched Taakad, a campaign to encourage better verification of social media news by both citizen journalists and traditional media outlets. Taakad means “to verify” in Arabic. By modeling social media verification best practices and encouraging others to do the same, Taakad aimed to offer an open lesson to news media and other platforms …
To promote civic engagement in Lebanon, Marc Farra from Lamba Labs and the SMEX team developed a new tool called Nouwweb that lets people easily access essential public information about the members of parliament who represent them. The tool is meant to be a first step in encouraging more frequent and open exchange between MPs and their constituents. Nouwweb …
Nouwweb: An Open, Online Directory of Lebanon’s MPsRead More »
With a name that means “to collaborate” in Arabic, Tasharuk makes it easier for digital media trainers, activists, and civil society groups to find and amplify high-quality guides, manuals, reports, instructional videos, tutorials, software, and other tools. Among the platform’s aims are to foster closer collaboration among Arabic-speaking digital media trainers and advocates, as well as identify knowledge …
Tasharuk: A Collaborative Knowledge Base for NetizensRead More »
NetHawwal, which means “we transform in Arabic,” is an online learning platform that helps people of all ages develop the digital skills they need to amplify unheard voices and hold power accountable in an information society. Our first class comprised more than 30 participants from 14 Arab countries who followed the eight-week online course in …
NetHawwal: Online Learning for the Arab Information SocietyRead More »
With the rise of citizen media, Arab regimes are establishing new legal frameworks to govern free speech and other civil and political rights online. In amended press laws, new counter-terrorism and anti-cybercrime legislation, and enhanced surveillance tactics, governments are violating the rights of journalists, bloggers, and activists, as well as musicians, teachers, clerics, and other …
Digital Rights Research: The Emerging Legal Framework for Free Expression OnlineRead More »
This summer, SMEX is producing, in cooperation with AFMD Grants, a pilot series of short podcasts on digital rights in the Arab region. The series is called “Net-Wasel” or نِت-وَاصِل , which means “to be connected through the Internet”. It will be presented by the blogger, digital media strategist, and trainer Khodor Salameh. Digital rights are human rights …
Launching Net-Wasel: A Podcast on Digital Rights for Arab Young PeopleRead More »
Background New e-government programs, biometric passports, and citywide surveillance have been recently introduced in Lebanon. Yet, in the absence of a legal framework to safeguard privacy or protect electronic data, questions are raised about the protection of personally identifiable information (PII) and mass surveillance of citizens. This makes it critical to raise awareness and correct …
Building the Credibility and Capacity of Privacy and Surveillance Watchdogs in LebanonRead More »