Stories about Middle East & North Africa from July, 2015
Digital Citizen 3.4
Digital Citizen is a biweekly review of news, policy, and research on human rights and technology in the Arab World.
#HackingTeam Leaks: Lebanon’s Cybercrime Bureau Exploited Angry Birds to Surveil Citizens’ Mobile Devices
Lebanon's Cybercrime Bureau seems to be conducting surveillance outside the boundaries of local law — and using Hacking Team software to do it.
Netizen Report: You Can’t Encrypt, But We Can Spy
"...the revelations have touched a nerve with certain Global Voices community members who are now virtually certain that their own communications devices were infected and monitored using Hacking Team spyware."
After 6 Years in Jail, the Iranian ‘Blogfather’ Says Today's Internet Has Changed—for the Worse
Derakhshan, a former Global Voices writer, was incarcerated for six years for his blogging. His first English-language piece since his release criticizes the current state of the Internet.
Australian Artist Jailed in UAE For Posting “Bad Words” on Facebook
An Australian artist found herself thrown into an Abu Dhabi prison and deported for posting a photograph of a car blocking a disabled parking spot.
Bahrain Releases Human Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab, Only to Send Another Activist Back to Jail
Bahrain released from prison rights activist Nabeel Rajab, and then renewed the detention of political leader Ibrahim Sharif for 15 days. Is the government playing chess with political dissidents?
Digital Citizen 3.3
Digital Citizen is a biweekly review of news, policy, and research on human rights and technology in the Arab World.
ISIS Hacks Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Website and Threatens its Director
The ISIS cyber army allegedly threatened Observatory director Rami Abdelrahman for his role in documenting human rights abuses committed by all parties in the ongoing war in Syria.
For Arab Human Rights Defenders, Hacking Team Files Confirm Suspicions of State Surveillance
"Rights groups knew Egypt using Hacking Team spyware since 2012; Sunday's hack just proved it," says Egyptian activist Ramy Raoof.