About Me

A consultant and researcher working at the intersection of technology and human rights

Follow Me

I have a broad range of knowledge on the different aspects technology affects human rights, in particular freedom of expression and information, media and press freedoms, privacy and the right to non-discrimination. Since 2012, I have been providing research, reporting and consulting services for nonprofit organizations focusing on freedom of expression and information, media and press freedoms, privacy and digital rights.

0 +

Projects & Assignments Done

0 +

Years of experience

Work experience

I have been conducting research and reporting in the field of digital rights since 2012. I am currently leading research at Social Media Exchange (SMEX), a leading digital rights NGO in the Arab region, and involved in other projects by other groups working to promote human rights in the digital space. My previous clients included AccessNow, the International Center for Non-Profit Law (ICNL), Mozilla Foundation and the Association for Progressive Communications. My current clients include Stichting Female Journalists Network, Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems (HURIDOCS) and the

From September 2016 to December 2020, I worked as an editor for Advox, a project by Stichting Global Voices specializing in covering the intersection of technology and human rights in the Global South. This role has equipped me with a better understanding of the impacts that the policies and practices of ICT companies have on customers, particularly groups and communities at higher risks of abuse and violations such as human rights defenders, journalists and minorities.

Between 2018 and 2020, and as part of a partnership with Global Voices, I also worked with Ranking Digital Rights, which works to promote freedom of expression and privacy on the internet by creating global standards and incentives for companies to respect and protect users’ rights to freedom of expression and privacy. During this period, I conducted research for the Corporate Accountability Index, which ranks the world’s most powerful telecommunications and technology companies on their disclosed policies affecting users’ rights to freedom of expression and privacy. In 2020, I contributed to the revision of the Index methodology, which was expanded to cover companies’ targeted advertising and algorithmic policies and practices.

Educational Background

I hold an MA in Media Studies from the University of Amsterdam and a BA in English Studies from the Higher Institute of Human Sciences of Tunis. I wrote my MA thesis on the implications for freedom of expression and information of commercial social media platforms’ content removal policies in compliance with local laws. In the thesis’ case study, I focused on the content removal policies and practices of Facebook and Twitter in Turkey, and their disproportionate impacts on human rights defenders, journalists and independent media. The thesis also addressed what tech platforms can do to mitigate the risks to freedom of expression and information when they are ordered by governments—particularly undemocratic ones— to censor legitimate speech guaranteed under international human rights standards. During my master’s programme, I also developed an interest in studying how algorithms shape and rank the content we see online, writing my mid-term paper on algorithms’ increasing role in deciding what content is newsworthy and the implications for media freedom and democracy. An edited version of this paper was published on 7iber.com, an online media organization and magazine.