Often used as a method to stop questions being leaked prior to exams as well as to prevent cheating during exams, these Internet shutdowns harm societies, economies, and the global Internet infrastructure – and they often don’t deter the most determined cheaters.
Thank you for joining us for ‘Offline: When Exams Disrupt Everyone’s Internet’.
The panel of experts discussed:
- The various methods used by governments to shutdown the Internet.
- The harm that even short Internet disruptions do to the global economy and people’s livelihoods, their rights and ability to access to information.
- The effect of Internet shutdowns on the global Internet infrastructure.
- Alternative methods for preventing cheating.
Panelists
- Sarah Cupler, Lead Researcher, SMEX
- Hanna Kreitem, Senior Advisor, Internet Technology and Development, MENA, Internet Society
- Khattab Hamad, Media Researcher, Beam Reports
- Ahmad Aljanazrah, Assistant VP For Academic Affairs, Birzeit University, Palestine
Agenda
(all times are in UTC)
| 9:00 – 9:05 | Welcome and introduction |
| 9:05 – 9:15 | Data on exam-related Internet shutdowns in the MENA region (2021) |
| 9:15 – 9:35 | Discussion on the impacts of exam-related shutdowns in the MENA region and beyond |
| 9:35 – 9:55 | Q&A from the audience |
| 9:55 – 10:00 | Final considerations |
The event was open to everyone and was communicated in Arabic and English with simultaneous interpretation between both languages.