While our neighbors have embraced the power of online marketing years ago, (Read about Israel's digital marketing efforts) what has Lebanon done? ...It presented a draft law to censor and "monitor" the voice of its own nation!
Wake up Lebanon!
The Lebanese Internet Regulation Act is filled with loopholes and certainly does not provide much encouragement for Lebanese to speak up in this world. Far from it.
If you won't let your own people speak up, who will do the talking?
Surely, the internet will not be silenced.
The world will still look up the same words, the same questions, the same problems, they'll still wonder what Lebanon is, whether Lebanese were terrorists...
What if our Ministry of Information, concentrated its efforts on fixing the image of Lebanon through the internet instead? What if it would open a new section, an online shield of bloggers and social media activists?
Yes, I am a dreamer.
...and now back to earth, fellow bloggers did a great job pointing out the threats lying ahead if the draft Lebanese Internet Regulation Act (LIRA) ever sees the light under its current form:
in Arabic:
in French:
in English:
They may try to lift our freedom of expression, but they can't cease and desist our rights to dream in a better Lebanon.
At least, may the ministry grant us that people of adequate qualifications be put in charge of drafting such laws.
#StopLIRA < Twitter hashtag to follow.
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