Aymen Zaghdoudi

Imagine a basketball game where one team writes the rules, owns the court, and controls the referee. The crowd is silenced before tip-off, and the opposing players are warned that every play could end the match. That is not a free and fair game, it is a performance of control. The new wave of social media regulations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region works just like that.

It should be no surprise that 2024 was among the deadliest for journalists in 30 years. Across the world, we’re seeing a sharp increase in attacks on media pluralism and independence, as governments of all stripes undermine the rule of law and democratic governance, erode protections for whistleblowers, and use dangerous narratives to smear journalists and human rights defenders.

Communications and search platforms like Facebook or Google have become crucial spaces for civic discourse and access to information. But they have also become powerful tools for commercial exploitation, political manipulation, silencing, and control.