SMEX advances digital rights
in West Asia and North Africa.
Who we are
SMEX is a non-profit that advocates for and advances human rights in digital spaces across West Asia and North Africa.
Our Vision
Our vision is for everyone living in West Asia-North Africa and the diaspora to be able to access and engage with the internet, mobile services, and other networked spaces safely and without fear of censorship, surveillance, or repercussion.
Our mission
SMEX advances freedom of expression and the right to privacy in WANA through research and reporting, monitoring state and tech companies’ policies, protecting the safety and security of online users, and collaborating with regional advocates to sustain a safer digital space.
What we do
Our Digital Safety Helpdesk assists internet users facing digital threats in the region
3381
Tickets received
1289
Tickets escalated
729
Journalists assisted
900
Activists assisted
News
Latest Articles
Latest news at the intersection of technology and human rights in WANA.
Ceasefire extended: Digital rights don’t pause sent
Ceasefire extended: Digital rights don’t pause ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ …
Bread&Net 2025: Explore the Outcomes Reports
A year has passed since Bread&Net 2025. The questions raised in those sessions: who controls digital infrastructure, who bears the…
Criminalizing Truth: Gulf Governments Must End the Crackdown on Information
Since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, triggering a wave of Iranian missile…
Everyone else owns subsea cables. Why doesn’t Lebanon?
Subsea cables are the hidden infrastructure of the internet. They are fiber-optic systems laid across seabeds, carrying around 98 percent…
Dual-use and dual damage: what the targeting of data centers...
For the first time in military history, private-sector commercial data centers have been deliberately targeted and damaged in an active…
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