This week, authorities arrested journalists, bloggers, and human rights activists in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Early Wednesday morning, Egyptian police raided the home of journalist and blogger Wael Abbas and arrested him. His whereabouts are still unknown but authorities confiscated his personal computer, phones, and books, according to a statement published by the Arabic Network […]
On April 6, Twitter launched the 12 Twitter Transparency Report, its 12th biannual report documenting the requests the company receives from governments to remove content or reveal account information. Twitter splits removal requests into three categories: court orders, reports based on the violation of local laws, and government reported violations of the company’s terms of […]
In Tunisia and Bahrain, government officials are pushing for laws that would further restrict online freedom of expression in both countries. Sixteen deputies from Nidaa Tounes, the ruling party in Tunisia, and one deputy from another party proposed a bill calling for certain types of online speech to be outlawed. The Tunisian bill, which would […]
After having trouble accessing mobile networks during the August 22 #youstink protests in downtown Beirut, SMEX started a petition requesting that Alfa and Touch, Lebanon’s two mobile network operators, boost coverage in downtown for the planned August 29 protest, which was expected to bring tens of thousands to Martyr’s Square. We disseminated the petition through social media, […]
