Mohamad Najem is the executive director of the Beirut–based digital rights organization SMEX (smex.org)—the Middle East and North Africa’s leading digital rights organization. His work includes local and regional advocacy campaigns, research on freedom of expression, privacy, and data protection. Mohamad organizes the yearly event “Bread & Net”, the first unconference in the MENA region that tackles topics related to technology and human rights. He graduated from Stanford Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program in 2019 and in January 2021, he was featured in TIME magazine as one of the top activists in the Arab region.