Deadline: 13 January 2017
Applications are open for the SMEX Fellowship for Reporting on Digital Freedoms is a three-month stipend-supported fellowship based in Beirut, Lebanon. The program is designed to encourage, facilitate, and disseminate research on digital rights in Lebanon, with the goal of advancing evidence-based public debates.
Two fellows will be selected to investigate a topic of their choosing and produce an in-depth report detailing their findings. The fellows will be supported and mentored by SMEX advisors, who will offer them the opportunity to develop their skills, expertise, and knowledge on issues related to privacy and surveillance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Fellowship Objectives
We are accepting preliminary proposals that address (some of) the following questions, but prospective fellows are welcome to propose other relevant topics and investigate these or other issues from any lens they may choose.
Legal framework
- What effect has the lack of a clear and up-to-date legal framework had on the right to privacy in Lebanon?
- How is the judiciary working around the legislation currently in place?
- How are legal researchers and lawyers pushing for reform and how do they envision bringing about a more just legal framework?
- How can citizens remedy personal data breaches? How has the judiciary responded to past breaches?
- How can we start the process for a data protection law in Lebanon? What are the main components that should be included in such a law?
Political understanding
- How is political expression being impacted by Lebanon’s current laws on privacy and surveillance?
- What is the potential social and political impact of the hundreds of recently installed surveillance cameras around Beirut?
- What are the limitations of the discourse on privacy rights in an unstable country like Lebanon? Is advocacy for expanded privacy rights possible under current security challenges?
- How does the average resident in Lebanon understand and regard privacy rights? How can their views be shifted?
Infrastructure of surveillance
- Can a timeline of the construction of the surveillance state be drawn? At what cost (financial and other) has it been established?
- Who are its main actors and advocates?
- How are surveillance systems in Lebanon visualized, planned, and implemented?
- How are intelligence agencies gathering mass data? How is this date secured, shared, and used?
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the fellowship, applicants must:
- Have at least three years of experience reporting on Lebanon and/or the MENA region
- Be full-time residents of Lebanon, with knowledge of the country’s politics, history, and laws. Having well-established contacts is a plus
- Be writers, reporters, journalists, or bloggers with an interest to work on questions related to digital rights, privacy, and surveillance
How to Apply
Applicants must submit required documents via email.
For more information, please visit SMEX Fellowship.