Gulf Countries Use Canadian Filtering Technology to Block Entire Categories of Websites
Researchers revealed in April that internet filtering technologies produced by Netsweeper, an Ontario-based technology company with offices in the UAE and distributors in the Middle East, existed on state-owned public networks in the Gulf. These technologies filter opposition websites, major international news outlets, human rights and gay rights content, and internet circumvention tools. According to […]
Help SMEX Monitor Internet Shutdowns in MENA During National Exams
In the final days of the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the world gasped in disbelief as the administration of President Hosni Mubarak shut down access to the Internet and all mobile communications. At the time, it was inconceivable that a government would cut off people’s access to the internet and mobile networks. Since then, however, shutting […]
Omani Activist Hassan al-Basham Passes Away in Prison
Social media activists are mourning the death of Hassan al-Basham, an Omani activist who died in Oman’s Samail Central Prison on April 28 after his health deteriorated. Al-Basham “defended prisoners of conscience…and carried out activities on the social in humanitarian levels,” according to a statement by the Omani Coalition for Human Rights, confirming the news […]
SMEX and LADE to Monitor Candidates’ Speech on Social Media During 2018 Parliamentary Elections
On May 6, Lebanon will hold parliamentary elections for the first time since 2009, following three consecutive extensions of the parliament’s mandate, totalling one full term. Since the last general election, internet penetration in Lebanon has increased exponentially from 25 percent to around 80 percent. The usage of social media, especially Facebook, has followed suit. […]