Bread&Net Online will host a series of webinars to address key challenges that emerged over the last year across West Asia and North Africa. We will also reflect on moments of strength that could aid our collective efforts for just and free internet societies.
The regional digital rights community was set to meet in Beirut in November 2023, one month after Israel unleashed its genocidal campaign in Gaza.
However, within a few weeks following October 8, we realized that hosting the event was impossible amid the bloodshed in Palestine and the Israeli aggression on Lebanese towns in the South. It was impossible to maintain business as usual at a time when two million Palestinians across the border were being bombed, starved, and made homeless at an unprecedented scale. We decided to postpone the event to ensure the safety of participants and reject the normalization of genocide. Our community had been immobilized by witnessing the sheer magnitude of violence experienced by our people, stunting us into a critical moment of reckoning.
Six months has been more than ample time to reveal some of the core faults in the digital platforms and networks that dominate our daily lives. While not a new revelation, their detrimental consequences become much more felt, and even life-threatening, in times of war and crises.
Free and open to all, the Bread&Net Online program aims to provide participants with the best possible tools for digital rights advocacy in turbulent and trying times.
Outcomes
- Increased Awareness and Understanding: By the end of this virtual event, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of digital rights amidst times of war. Through conversations with prominent digital rights activists in the region, participants will gain an insight into the challenges faced and strategies employed in defending digital freedoms during turbulent times in the region.
- Empowerment of CSO’s, activists, and grassroot initiatives in the region through funding: This event will expose participants to various funding opportunities offered by SMEX for initiatives aimed at countering digital rights threats and violations in the WANA region.
- Knowledge exchange: At the end of this event, prominent activists, scholars, and other digital rights defenders with various expertise will engage in a knowledge exchange that will contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between human rights, tech, and conflict in the WANA region.
- Safeguarding online digital space: Strategies and best practices for safeguarding digital rights in times of crisis to counter the various threats and violations faced by the communities in the region will be shared and explored. Through expert-led discussions, attendees will gain valuable insights into effective measures for safeguarding digital spaces and empowering communities to defend their rights online.
About SMEX
SMEX is a non-profit that advocates for and advances human rights in digital spaces across West Asia and North Africa through research, campaigns, and advocacy. We encourage users to engage with digital technology, media, and social networks responsibly and critically.