After security forces detained an estimated 300 people last night and security forces and militias attacked protestors both yesterday and today, we want to provide tips on how to safely and securely document human rights violations during demonstrations. Documentation of violations contributes to the protection of victims’ rights and enables[...]
Lebanon witnessed protests in Beirut and a number of other cities because of the tough living situation, and with the prospect of an internet shutdown or disruption as the protests continue. We are sharing a few useful technical tips for communicating safely and securely during the demonstrations. It is best[...]
On Wednesday, October 9, Iraqi lawyer Mohammed Joumaa filed a lawsuit against the Iraqi minister of telecommunications for disrupting and shutting down the Internet during protests in early October. The lawsuit demands that the minister of telecommunications “repeal the decision to shutdown the internet in the country and establish that network disruptions[...]
On October 4, SMEX and many other civil society organizations shared an open letter to Facebook and other tech companies to continue increasing end-to-end security across its messaging tools and resist law enforcement calls to create backdoors or exceptional access to the content of users’ messages. 4 October 2019 Dear[...]
This article has also appeared on MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab’s website. Arrived at Toronto union station on a cold Wednesday night, I rushed into a black SUV while I was keeping an eye on the endless queue of taxis waiting for the next client to come. As a Ph.D.[...]
In Lebanon, telcos and major tech companies tend to impact users’ privacy and freedom of expression. A 2018 SMEX report found that out of 66 mobile telecom operators in the MENA region, only 14 published terms of service, seven published privacy policies, and four published both. None of them are[...]
Following the massacre of peaceful protesters at a sit-in near the Army Headquarters in Khartoum on June 2nd, Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) began restricting internet connectivity throughout the country. By June 4th, the country’s internet connection was completely shutdown. Despite this, protesters called for full civil disobedience on Sunday,[...]
SMEX is thrilled to announce the return of Bread&Net, the annual Arabic-language unconference to strengthen and defend human rights in digitally networked spaces in the MENA region. Join us from 15 to 17 November 2019 at Antwork in Beirut! We took your comments and feedback from last year’s inaugural Bread&Net[...]
A few weeks ago Ogero, the ministry of telecommunications operated internet service provider (ISP), blocked Grindr, a popular gay online dating application, due to a court order from the general disciplinary judge Marie Abou Mourad, which stated that the application “secures romantic and sexual liaisons for homosexuals and bisexuals.” The[...]
It was recently revealed that Careem, the Emirati-based ride hailing company, recently purchased by Uber, routinely shares riders’ full names and phone numbers with drivers, or “captains” as the company refers to them. This policy has resulted in drivers sending unsolicited Facebook friend requests to riders, violating their privacy and[...]
