Digital Rights as Human Rights Project

Since SmartGov founded on the concept of using highly curated technology and social science research to allow state institution to be smart, effective, inclusive and since the Samir Kassir Foundation (SKF) has been monitoring all forms of violations of freedom of expression in the Levant in general, and in Lebanon in particular. Within the rise of ICT in the public sector, the Lebanese government have driven e-government initiatives with the goal of improving the quality of public services offered to citizens, given that governments handle citizens’ personal data, which may be highly sensitive, this project focuses on personal data protection and assessing the quality of e-government platforms and infrastructure.

The project first assumption is that effective advocacy to protect digital rights in Lebanon has to go beyond the expected circle of human rights NGOs. Since the end of 2019, Lebanon has been on the confluence of severe crises: the economic collapse and its subsequent social implications, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the meltdown of trust in and legitimacy of public institutions. Digital tools have emerged at so many levels as efficient, flexible solutions to gather data about people’s needs, work under lockdown measures, identify households that are most at risk, and register for vaccines, among others. Yet, most of these tools do not observe the most basic privacy rights of citizens, and have not been developed using coherent methodologies, which creates its own range of inter-operability challenges.

The project aims to ensure an effective balance between the protection of digital rights and quality of e-governance solutions in Lebanon. The aim is to achieve this objective by:
Sensitizing public authorities on local and international privacy protection and data management norms; and
Calling the general public to act in defense of their digital rights.

SmartGov will be evaluating and mapping e-government platforms according to the below criteria:
– respect of the relevant Lebanese legislation
– respect of international digital rights norms
– digital safety
– transparency and pedagogy
– inter-operability and integration potential with other tools / platforms
– duplication and waste of resources

A presentation of the findings will be during a public event organized by SKF and SmartGov on mid-November 2021, a comparative matrix of all available e-governance tools in Lebanon that gather personal data, will be published on SKF and SmartGov’s website and on social media channels.

At the end of the project, SmartGov and SKF will convene all relevant stakeholders, involved in the development of the tools to communicate the results and assess readiness for public reform.

SKF and SmartGov will also follow up with each relevant entity with a set of recommendations and guidance from experts in order to implement the recommendations. The project team will facilitate initial meetings among several stakeholders to encourage convergence of similar solutions and approaches. In parallel, the team will launch a robust social media campaign to educate citizens about their rights and inform them about institutions’ performance in respecting their privacy and digital rights all while providing them with government services that they deserve and are entitled to.