HRW: Tech giants 'not doing enough' to protect LGBTQ people in Lebanon, region

Human Rights Watch called Tuesday on tech companies to better protect LGBTQ communities from "digital targeting" by authorities in Iraq, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.

Discrimination against LGBTQ people is widespread across the Middle East, and even in countries where homosexuality is not expressly outlawed, it is often punished under vague laws prohibiting "debauchery", "prostitution" or "cybercrime".

In a 135-page report, the New York-based rights watchdog identified cases of online entrapment by security forces which led to the "arbitrary detention and torture" of LGBTQ people in the region.

"The authorities in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia have integrated technology into their policing of LGBT people," Rasha Younes, senior researcher at HRW, told reporters on Tuesday.

The report concludes that "digital platforms, such as Meta (Facebook, Instagram), and Grindr, are not doing enough to protect users vulnerable to digital targeting."

HRW recommended increased content moderation in Arabic and "human rights due diligence."

The report lists 20 cases of "online entrapment by security forces" in Egypt, Iraq and Jordan through a practice known as "catfishing".

Ayman, a 23-year-old Egyptian identified in the report only by first name, told HRW he was "chatting with a man on Grindr," a popular LGBTQ dating app.

They had agreed to meet, but when Ayman arrived at the location he found "five police officers in civilian attire" who then used "private photos" to charge him with "debauchery and indecency."

Amar, 25, a transgender woman, told HRW she had been entrapped, detained and raped by security forces in Jordan, under a supposed drug bust that turned into a prostitution case.

"Online abuses against LGBT people have offline consequences," said researcher Younes, calling for both governments and tech companies to ensure the safety of LGBTQ people.