Access Now Profile picture
Aug 24 7 tweets 4 min read
This year, authorities have subjected thousands of people across MENA to internet shutdowns during national exams. #KeepItOn

Sudan, Algeria, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq all followed the same script played out repeatedly in recent years — here's what happened:
accessnow.org/empty-promises…
🇸🇩In Sudan, authorities have grown accustomed to using this tool of oppression, and telcos complied with the officials’ orders to disconnect people.

The internet was shut down on each exam day from 8:00 am — 11:00 am local time.

🇩🇿In Algeria, despite promises to put an end to this practice, authorities blocked specific websites and applications, making 2022 the seventh year in a row they have interfered with the internet during exams.

maghrebactu.com/belabed-person…
🇯🇴In Jordan, authorities continued to block communication apps.

As @jo_osa explains, this practice is illegal. It directly conflicts with the country’s constitution, which prohibits stopping any means of communication without a judicial order:

josa.ngo/ar/blog/122/%D…
🇮🇶In Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government imposed internet blackouts for four-hours during final high school exams.

🇸🇾 In Syria, authorities also disrupted the internet during four exam periods in May and June, as well as three periods in August:

therecord.media/syria-schools-…
Shutdowns are not a proportional solution to cheating.

Repeated #InternetShutdowns violate human rights for all people, not just students.

If you have experienced an exam-related internet shutdown, please share your experience with us:

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…
These shutdowns disrupt not just education, but a wide array of daily activities. They keep people in the dark, and governments should turn to rights respecting measures to prevent cheating. #KeepItOn

Read more by @KassemMnejja and Zach Rosson:

accessnow.org/empty-promises…

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More from @accessnow

Aug 25
We are seeing some viral Instagram posts that claim a new iOS update allows people to track your "precise location."

This is not quite right 🧵
While apps like Facebook and Instagram can track your location (if you have the setting on), random users don't have access to this information.

The most they can see is if you publicly tag your location in a post.
Just last week, Apple released an urgent iOS update that helps protect users against some serious security vulnerabilities, including ones that could allow hackers to completely take over devices.

theguardian.com/technology/202…
Read 5 tweets
Aug 25
The Indian gov’t is thwarting efforts to investigate the use of Pegasus spyware.

The Supreme Court today echoed sentiment shared by the public & parliamentarians alike since the #PegasusProject findings last year — “the Indian gov’t is not cooperating.”

ndtv.com/india-news/peg…
The Supreme Court now has the investigating committee’s report, which is not yet public, but reportedly states that malware was found in 5 out of the 29 phones examined, but that there was no “conclusive proof” of Pegasus spyware.
Four things need to be top of mind for the SC bench led by the Chief Justice of India:

1. Forensic analysis to trace spyware cannot be “conclusive” — the investigation must obtain direct information from the gov’t on procurement and use of spyware.
Read 6 tweets
Aug 23
.@Meta needs to step up and protect the rights of the global majority.

The company must publicly release @BSRnews's independent review of Meta’s content moderation in Palestine & the full independent India Human Rights Impact Assessment.

Our statement:

accessnow.org/palestine-indi…
Last year, @facebook commissioned @BSRnews, a non-profit organization focusing on business and human rights, to "conduct human rights due diligence of Facebook's impacts during May-June's intensified violence in Israel and Palestine:"

middleeasteye.net/news/israel-pa…
.@Meta promised to release the report “in the first quarter of 2022.”

The long-awaited review has now been delayed twice, and Meta’s refusal and failure to release the full independent HRIA report is alarming.

transparency.fb.com/en-gb/oversigh…
Read 8 tweets
May 17, 2021
Making matters worse, social media companies — like FB, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok — are censoring Palestinians as they face military violence and evictions from their homes.

But why?

As part of our TL;DR series, we explain below 🧵 #SavePalestine #SaveSheikhJarrah #الاقصى TL;DR: The ongoing online censorship of Palestinians
Since 1967 the state of Israel has occupied East Jerusalem, where Sheikh Jarrah residents have been peacefully protesting against forced evictions.

In the past 2 weeks, Israeli police violence/crackdowns have escalated. Nearly 200 Palestinians have died.
aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/17…
Palestinian activists and citizens are primarily using social media to draw global attention.

People have taken to social media to document and denounce Israel police brutality, violent attacks, occupation and apartheid, and forced dispossession from their homes.
Read 15 tweets
Apr 23, 2021
You might have heard that COVID vaccine “passports” — digital records of your vaccination status — will slow the spread.

On paper, this sounds great. But most current proposals around the world threaten human rights.

Our new report explains 🧵

accessnow.org/covid-19-vacci…
Our concerns include:
📲 Exclusion & discrimination — Not everyone has vaccine access & these “passports” could further divide nations
📲 Privacy & security — Any system would collect personal info, risking privacy & increasing potential for surveillance, profiling & breaches
Our recommendations for decision-makers include:
✅ Do what is effective, not what is trending: Prioritize people and their needs, not a technical tool, and optimize for solutions that are less intrusive and that don’t hinder rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Do What is Effective, Not W...
Read 10 tweets
Jan 18, 2021
The FBI *surveilled* MLK. They tapped his phone. They watched him. They tried to blackmail him.

His demand for racial justice was a "threat."

History will judge the state actors who continue to use tech to surveil, intimidate & persecute the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
#MLKDay
Read more about the FBI's surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr: vox.com/22226255/mlk-f…
And read more about the surveillance of Black Lives Matter protests: vice.com/en/article/g5b…
Read 4 tweets

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