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Cyber crime laws and fake dating profiles are being used to target LGBTI individuals in a number of Middle Eastern countries, according to a new report.
In the report, All This Terror Because of a Photo, Human Rights Watch (HRW) details 45 instances of entrapment, harassment, abuse, and arrest of queer people in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, and Lebanon. The report also looked at instances of digital targeting in Kuwait, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia.
HRW found repeated instances of state authorities using fake profiles on dating apps such as Grindr or on social media sites like Facebook. These profiles were often operated in real time by police and other law enforcement officials, engaging in online chat and even video calls with suspected LGBTI people.
In countries where same-sex conduct is criminalised, this alone would often lead to abuse and arrest, though in a number of cases, subsequent legal proceedings dismissed any charges.
But in countries where such conduct is not explicitly prohibited, authorities would then turn to morality or cyber crime laws to justify the arrests. These vague laws cover such things as “debauchery” or “inciting debauchery”; but in Jordan, such matters are treated under its prohibition against “soliciting prostitution online”, as part of its cyber crime legislation. Egypt also makes use of its cyber crime laws in this way. In Tunisia, a broad suite of public safety laws serves a similar purpose.
In cases where individuals were found guilty, they could be subject to months or years of prison, and in many cases, had already been held in pretrial detention for many months as well.
And where there was little evidence to base a prosecution, HRW found that law enforcement would then resort to planting evidence and photos to prove their case.
The report also found that online harassment of queer communities was rife, with many social media companies falling behind on checking such behaviour. Criminal groups were also reported as using fake dating profiles, though in this case, it leads merely to extortion and blackmail of the victim.
“Most of the LGBT people targeted online said they stopped using digital platforms and deleted their social media accounts as a result of digital targeting, which only exacerbated their feeling of isolation,” the report stated.
“These abusive tactics highlight the prevalence of digital targeting and the need for digital platforms and governments to take action to ensure LGBT people’s safety online.”
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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