In this session, Jillian C. York discusses her book “Silicon Values: The Future of Free Speech Under Surveillance Capitalism,” while keeping in mind these two crucial questions: How do companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon threaten our democracy? And what happens to free speech under surveillance capitalism? The internet once[...]
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[...]
In this #BreadandNet 2020 session, Professor Abderrazak Ben Hamida from iCompass outlined the importance of chatbots for connecting vulnerable people to services, focusing on the Tunisian chatbot 3ziza which provides Tunisian vulnerable groups with support during the pandemic.
In this #BreadandNet 2020 session Shadi Abou-Zahra from W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) discusses what does digital accessibility actually means and how can we ensure websites and apps work for everyone, with and without disability? Covering international efforts on digital accessibility that we collectively need to promote in the MENA[...]
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[...]
In this #BreadandNet 2020 session, Sacha Robehmed from International Rescue Committee (IRC) discusses the role of online platforms in connecting organizations to individuals, while maintaining online privacy and security. COVID-19 forced many humanitarian organizations to rapidly adopt digital tools like Whatsapp to share information with crisis-affected populations, and to deliver[...]
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[...]
