Feature image via the cleaners: Who is controlling what we see… and what we think? The Web that was once created to be public, free, and open is not the same anymore. Almost everything we do online these days is controlled by private companies; whether we are sending an email (through[...]
Feature image via Freedom House, November 2018: A map of Freedom House’s “Internet Freedom” rankings. In collaboration with Freedom House, SMEX assessed internet freedom in Lebanon as part of the organization’s Freedom on the Net 2018 Report. Lebanon’s “Internet Freedom Score” increased from 46 in 2017 to 47 in 2018,[...]
Feature image via Flickr, October 2013: An iPhone with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications. On Wednesday, the Syrian Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced that it was considering blocking voice calls on WhatsApp and other Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to increase revenues in the telecommunications industry, according to[...]
Feature image via the Daily Star, August 2018: An “Ugly” New Data Protection Law in Lebanon. The English translation of Chapter 5 of the E-Transactions Law concerning the processing of personal data can be found at the end of the article. An “Ugly” New Data Protection Law in Lebanon The[...]
Feature image via Oakla: The internet speed chart in August – Lebanon. Yet, it is interesting that many of the Arab countries have improved mobile internet speed, but they rank lower in fixed broadband as Lebanon, Egypt and Algeria are towards the bottom of the list. Mobile network ranking Lebanon had[...]
Feature image via AdenNet:AdenNet says that it will provide larger, faster and cheaper internet. But what about digital rights and freedom? Yemen’s internet has become increasingly unstable due to the war and the country’s fragmentation. Indeed, the country has witnessed frequent internet shutdowns and interruptions and the warring parties have[...]
Feature image via imlebanon.org: The Ministry of Telecommunications. Since 2012, Lebanon’s Ministry of Telecommunications has been trying, despite changes in leadership, to combat the smuggling of smartphones. The latest decision was announced on August 31 by caretaker minister Jamal al-Jarrah. A few points to gather from the directive: Citizens are[...]
Introduction One day in early 2015, Habib Battah, an investigative journalist who operates the website Beirut Report, noticed new construction works in the city’s Hamra district. Hoping that this was the physical manifestation of much-touted plans to upgrade the notoriously slow internet in Lebanon, he observed thin blue pipe being[...]
Feature image via national news agency, June 2018: Minister of information Melham Riachy launching the Eye Police Application . The Eye Police Registration Form, July 2018. Eye Police, the Ministry of Information’s new mobile application which serves as a platform for users to report issues in Lebanon, poses a serious[...]
Feature image April 2018: A screenshot of the API used to track social media posts. SMEX and LADE collaborated to monitor candidates’ social media speech during the most recent Lebanese parliamentary elections. The increasing role of social media in shaping public opinion – especially during national elections – goes hand[...]
