mission responsible #9: SMEX & digital rights in the MENA region
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Welcome to a new issue of the Mission: Responsible newsletter! In this newly revamped newsletter, we'll be putting the spotlight on a member of the Responsible Data community, talking about what they do and how their work contributes to the topics around responsible data.
This month, we spoke with SMEX's Abed Kataya and Azza El Masri. With them, we took a closer look at the work of SMEX, a Lebanese digital rights organisation, and talk about the role of privacy and digital rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Following the implementation of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data protection gained extra attention from civil society around the world. The legislation strengthened the data protection and privacy rights of European citizens, a feat that, as we highlighted in a series of Responsible Data Reflection Stories, has equipped civil society around the world with new tools.
In the MENA region, however, the law is lacking when it comes to digital rights. “In general, there are a lot of concerns when it comes to cyber laws in the region because sometimes governments use them to suppress citizens,” Abed told us. But the law is only one piece of the puzzle, recognises Abed, and the MENA region is diverse, with laws varying depending on context and location. SMEX spoke to us about how they are working to solve the entire puzzle, taking into account the role of infrastructure, powerful actors, policy makers and regulators, and last but not least, citizens.
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collaborating for internet access
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For SMEX, the basis of digital rights lies in this access to internet infrastructure, because, as Abed told us: “To have access to information, you need to have internet access.” One common problem SMEX’s work touches on relates to internet infrastructure in the region, and, more specifically, questions around who has power to grant and take away internet access for citizens.
In the last few years, internet shutdowns have become a more common phenomenon, with recent occurrences in Iraq, Sudan and Mauritania. Internet shutdowns are an increasingly popular tool governments use to control citizens' access to online information and communication, and is oftentimes deployed during times of citizen uprising or elections. Recently published research by Dr. Anita Gohdes suggests that internet shutdowns are becoming part of a toolkit for more violent repression, and that this type of repression goes hand in hand with state violence.
SMEX has been monitoring internet shutdowns in the MENA region, a challenging task, given the nature of the shutdowns, which are usually activated in response to citizen protests. SMEX isn’t alone in bringing attention to this topic, and the organisation is accompanied by organisations like Netblocks.org and Access Now. The latter manages an ongoing Twitter campaign under the hashtag #KeepItOn. Alongside peer organisations and citizen activists, SMEX have found a way to monitor internet shutdowns and to stay connected to their wider response network.
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A big focus of SMEX’s work is their advocacy for more transparent and better privacy regulations. “Foreign companies from the US and Europe don’t respect user rights when they come to the region,” said Abed. After conducting research into the privacy policies and terms of services of communications companies in the MENA region, SMEX found that companies are rarely transparent about their practices. “When a company isn’t forced by law, they don’t publish a privacy policy and terms of condition.”
But the law is not a silver bullet, and SMEX know that the mere existence of a privacy law does not necessarily ensure a proper implementation of it. As part of their work, the organisation advocates for better regulatory frameworks with governments, not by antagonising, but by creating room for discussion which ultimately can lead to policy changes. “We’re focusing not on fighting officials online or offline, but by meeting them, debating and discussing with them. At the end of the day, we need to discuss things with them directly to get into the official process of making laws.”
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the role of citizens in leading the conversation
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Across their work, SMEX rely on strong relationships with citizens and users of technology, who are ultimately affected by regulatory changes. “Policies govern the relationship between users and companies,” said Abed, “GDPR raised that discussion, and now everyone is talking more about their rights.
SMEX’s campaigns to raise awareness about digital rights include a board game on online mobile safety, and a storytelling campaigns about online dating launched on Valentine’s Day. In teaching citizens about their rights, SMEX hope to make that relationship more even. In their campaigns, the organisation finds users where they are, and talks to them through playful and impactful campaigns.
Note: Since we spoke with Abed and Azza, public demonstrations arose across Lebanon, with citizens protesting government corruption, failing public services and exorbitant taxation. Read more about the protests via SMEX's blog.
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As always, feedback, suggestions, and links for the next newsletter are very much welcomed.
You can get in touch with us at hello@responsibledata.io, which goes to The Engine Room team members Paola Verhaert, Laura Guzmán and Zara Rahman.
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