Description:

In recent years, many countries in the Middle East and Africa have reformed legislation on cybercrime and electronic communications to keep pace with new challenges posed by digital technologies. In some cases, these reforms have served as positive steps towards protecting individuals from malicious cyber activities within a framework of appropriate safeguards, as established by the Budapest Convention. Yet many governments in the region have also implemented legislation which criminalises forms of online expression which should be permissible under international human rights law and standards, and used these laws to crack down on human rights defenders, political dissidents, journalists, LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalised groups seeking to express themselves online. This not only poses grave threats to individuals’ rights in the digital age, but also diminishes the effectiveness of other open government reforms, slowing progress towards the SDGs. Recent research by Global Partners Digital and Article 19 delves into the misuse of these online content restrictions in Africa and the Middle East, highlighting how these measures have become tools for censorship and analysing recent trends in government responses to digital regulation issues in both regions. This workshop at the Internet Governance Forum would convene experts in digital regulations, media freedoms, and freedom of expression to discuss key findings, including case studies from countries of particular concern and consideration of how these restrictions impact platforms' moderation strategies in the region. The discussion will also consider the influence of international and regional cyber and digital policy processes on national legislative agendas in the region, as well as successful advocacy strategies employed by civil society organizations, philanthropists, media unions, and human rights defenders to push back against the repressive laws in focus.