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

SMEX • 03 Mar 2023

Joint Statement: Iraqi authorities must cease their chilling crackdown on free speech

We, the undersigned organizations, express our deepest concern regarding the Iraqi authorities’ recent campaign to crack down on “indecent content”…

Balgh
Freedom Of Expression
Freedom Of Speech

Safaa Ayyad • 15 Feb 2023

Iraq’s Controversial “Ballegh” Platform for “Combating Indecent Content”

When Umm Fahd danced in the stadium while watching the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup in the Al-Basra governorate in early 2023,…

Ballegh Platform
Indecent Content Campaign
Iraq

Najla Ben Salah • 19 Jan 2023

Tunisia: Presidential State of Emergency to Suppress Speech on Social Media

On Wednesday, January 10, attorney Assia Haj Salem joined a large group of attorneys, politicians, and activists who gathered in…

Decree 54
free speech
Freedom Of Expression

Ahmed El-Affendi • 26 May 2022

Widespread Cynicism about Covid-19 Vaccines in Sudan

COVID19
misinformation
pandemic

Amjad Yaghi • 19 Oct 2020

How Does Palestinian Content Counter the Bias of Social Media Companies?

Palestinian journalist Hani Al-Shaer was not surprised when his Facebook account was deleted for the tenth time during the past…

bias
Content
Content Moderation

smexadmin • 26 Jul 2018

New Elections Study Shows Less than 2% of Overall Electoral Speech on Social Media Was Negative

Feature image April 2018: A screenshot of the API used to track social media posts. SMEX and LADE collaborated to…

Electoral Speech
Lebanese Parliamentary Elections
Lebanon

smexadmin • 07 Nov 2016

Civil Society Statement: Voluntary Agreements between Israel and Social Media Companies Threaten Free Expression

Feature image via https://www.facebook.com/FaceBCensorsPalestine : a Facebook Page that protests the Israel-Facebook agreement. SIGN THE STATEMENT In early September, the…

Fcebook
Free Expression
Israel