Who controls what we see online? Documentary Screening: The Cleaners
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 Gmail), expressing and debating an idea (Facebook and Twitter), snapping and posting a picture of our food (on Instagram), […]
Internet in Lebanon Remains “Partly Free”
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, signifying that the environment for internet freedom became slightly more repressive. The country still remains “partly free,” according to Freedom […]
Will Syria Follow in the UAE’s Footsteps by Censoring VoIP Services?
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 an Al-Watan report. However, the decision will present a direct threat to Syrians’ rights to privacy, lead to an increase […]
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. للقراءة باللغة العربية. An “Ugly” New Data Protection Law in Lebanon The recently passed Electronic Transactions and Personal Data Law (E-Transactions Law), initially introduced in 2004 for the purpose of […]