SMEX - About

Our vision is for everyone in Lebanon and across the Arab region to be able to access the internet, mobile services, and other networked spaces in order to communicate and express themselves safely and without fear of censorship, surveillance, or repercussion.

Our mission is to advance digital rights in Lebanon and the Arab region through research, campaigns, and advocacy that encourages users to engage critically with digital technologies, media, and networks.

We believe in the transformative power of access to information and self-expression, both online and offline. We assert that these rights are essential to peaceful, dynamic, and prosperous societies.

Bread&Net is an annual unconference that promotes and defends digital rights across Arabic speaking countries. Hosted by SMEX, Bread&Net is a platform built for and sustained by hundreds of activists, technologists, journalists, researchers, lawyers, academics, entrepreneurs, and human rights defenders from around the world, with a particular focus on digital rights and digital freedoms in Arabic-speaking countries.