In the digital age, social media and messaging platforms promise connection, free expression, and global communication. Yet for activists, journalists, and human rights defenders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), these platforms have become potent tools of repression.
A new MEDC report, “Control+Alt+Delete: The Exploitation of Meta Platforms to Silence Dissent in the Middle East,” examines the systematic, sophisticated assault on digital freedoms by authoritarian governments in the region. Looking at Meta in particular, our research shows how authoritarian governments are weaponizing Meta’s platforms to silence dissent and suppress opposition, extending far beyond national borders and reaching activists even in exile.
Based on a series of interviews with regional activists, journalists, legal experts, and technical experts complemented by open-source research, the study reveals a comprehensive pattern of digital repression using tactics such as pervasive surveillance, coordinated censorship, systematic harassment, and the exploitation of vague legal frameworks to target activists both domestically and abroad.
They also look at how Meta’s policies and practices have often fallen short in addressing these challenges, offering concise recommendations for how to implement systematic changes to better protect vulnerable users in the MENA region.
Read the full report here.
