Resources

News, research, and campaigns

The latest updates on digital rights from West Asia and North Africa

Dia Kayyali • 14 May 2026

Dual-use and dual damage: what the targeting of data centers means for civilians

For the first time in military history, private-sector commercial data centers have been deliberately targeted and damaged in an active…

Data Centers
GCC
Militarization of Tech

Yasmina El Zein • 26 Mar 2026

Digital Rights Amid a Regional War: March 24, 2026

Beirut, March 24, 2026 — Israel’s war on Lebanon continues to escalate, intensifying its targets on critical infrastructure like connecting…

GCC
Lebanon
War on Lebanon

Metehan Durmaz • 19 May 2025

AI Investments in the Gulf: Opportunities and Surveillance Risks

Methodology All findings and analyses were developed through the review of publicly available information, including online articles, research papers, investment…

GCC
Gulf
Pegasus

Aksel Eck • 14 Mar 2024

Mapping Tech Companies’ Cloud Expansion in the Gulf and its Human Rights Implications

Since 2018, an increasing number of companies, mainly from the U.S. and China, launched cloud regions and data centers in…

alibaba
Alphabet
Amazon

SMEX • 28 Dec 2021

The Digital ID Landscape in the GCC: A Mapping of Programs, Regulations, and Human Rights Risks [Report 2021]

This report analyzes the implementation of digital ID systems in countries of the Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC), also referred to…

Bahrain
Digital ID
GCC