A year has passed since Bread&Net 2025. The questions raised in those sessions: who controls digital infrastructure, who bears the cost of platform decisions, and what accountability actually looks like in contexts of war, growing authoritarianism and repression, have only grown more pressing.Across two days, 620 people from 39 countries worked through those questions together: […]
Bread&Net 2025: Explore the Outcomes Reports Read More »
Bread&Net took place in Beirut in October 2025, bringing together more than 550 participants from across the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region and beyond. Since then, the political conditions in which the gathering happened have not eased; far from it, they have intensified. After more than two years without an in-person edition, the
Bread&Net 2025: Building a collective movement for digital rights in the WANA region Read More »
For many of us, the internet was never a utopia, but a space of possibility. Building upon decades of collaboration among dedicated and trustworthy individuals, digital spaces have extended new avenues for us to connect and organize beyond borders and oppression. As states break the sanctity of their constitutions to harm their residents, and as
Bread&Net: Save the Date! Read More »
Sign up today to attend #BreadandNet Online here.You will receive the agenda and the link to each session in your email on May 13, 14, and 15 SMEX will host the sixth iteration of the annual regional digital rights event, Bread&Net, which will be held online on May 13, 14, and 15. Bread&Net is an
SMEX Hosts the 6th Edition of Bread&Net Online Read More »
The session “Down for Nothing? Shutdowns during Exams in the Middle East and North Africa” was held as part of Bread&Net 2022 in Beirut between 15 to 17 November. This talk’s panelists were Khattab Hamad, digital rights activist, and researcher; Raya Sharbain, Education and Communities Coordinator at The Tor Project, formerly Program Coordinator at Jordan
Join us in Beirut this November for Bread&Net, a three-day unconference that will delve into critical themes at the intersection of technology and human rights. Our discussions will cover a range of topics from AI and social justice, to surveillance, media, and cybercrime laws. We encourage WANA technologists, activists, researchers, academics, and journalists to submit
Submit your proposals Read More »
SMEX will host the sixth iteration of the annual regional digital rights event, Bread&Net, taking place on November 14, 15, and 16 in Beirut, Lebanon. Bread&Net is an event that brings together tech experts, activists, policymakers, academics and media practitioners from the region to discuss and address pressing issues at the intersection of technology, society,
SMEX Launches the 6th Edition of Bread&Net Read More »
There’s no doubt that today’s digital spaces are mainly ruled by a handful of profit-hungry technology megacorporations. Their practices benefit society’s most powerful and exclude marginalized groups and individuals. From social media platforms to search engines to our GPS technologies, the internet is not as free as we’d like to believe. But can it be
Finalists for Bread&Net Fiction Prize: Digital Utopias And Futures Read More »
This year’s turnout at Bread&Net exceeded our expectations! More than 800 attendees took part in what became the largest convention on human rights in the Arabic-speaking region. In more than 100 sessions across 19 tracks, we addressed the most threatening challenges that restrict our rights and freedoms in the digital sphere. We also explored opportunities
Bread&Net 2022 Wrap Up: Five Years On Read More »
