An Amnesty International action calling for the release of Saudi activist Loujain Al-Hathloul, on International Women’s Day, Paris, France, 8 March 2020, Jeanne Menjoulet/Flickr, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) December in Middle East and North Africa: A free expression roundup produced by IFEX s Regional Editor Naseem Tarawnah, based on IFEX member reports and news from the region.
Authorities in MENA marked the end of 2020 with a chilling reminder of how deadly a year it has been for the region’s journalists and activists. Justice continues to elude those forcibly disappeared in Syria and Iraq. Civil society battles an increasingly surveilled online civic space.
Bahraini diplomat attacks Gulf reconciliation
A former Bahraini diplomat has attacked the reconciliation between Qatar, Saudi Arabia and its allies that took place on Tuesday, ending a nearly three-year blockade imposed on Doha, declaring that Doha and all Qatari lands belong historically to the kingdom of Bahrain”.
Qatar blockade: What caused it and why is it coming to an end?Read More »
Writing in Bahraini newspaper Al-Ayam, Hamad Al-Amer, who is close to the ruling administration, asked: What is happening around us? Where are we going? Is it rational to witness the collapse of values, traditions and heritage in the Muslim Arab Gulf? How can the bonds of history, brotherhood and the future be sold in exchange for personal interests?
Israeli spyware was used to hack the phones of dozens of Al Jazeera staff. (Osama Bhutta / Flickr)
There is advanced Israeli malware that can hack into your device without requiring you to interact with it or leaving a visible trace.
In earlier versions, the malware produced by Israeli spy firm NSO Group required a target to click a link or open a document.
In more recent versions, the targeted person may still receive a message or phone call containing the malware, but their device can be infected without them having to click on anything.
None of that is required any longer.
Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity and human rights abuse research group at the University of Toronto, said the zero-day was part of an exploit chain named Kismet that was created and sold by NSO Group, a well-known vendor of spyware and surveillance products.
Researchers claim NSO sold the Kismet hacking tool to at least four entities, who used it in July and August 2020 to hack the personal iPhones of 36 Al Jazeera reports from all over the globe.
The Citizen Lab team believes it identified two of the four of the buyers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, linking the activity to two groups the organization has been tracking as Monarchy and Sneaky Kestrel.
Tech giants join legal battle against hacking company NSO freemalaysiatoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freemalaysiatoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.