Scm Atlas

What Scm Atlas does

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), branded as "Scm Atlas," is an independent non-governmental civil society organization founded in 2004 in Damascus, Syria. It is dedicated to defending freedom of expression and media rights, with operational banking presence in France (Credit Mutuel) indicating international donor infrastructure. The organization monitors and documents human rights and media freedom violations in Syria, produces monthly statistical casualty reports, publishes research on media freedom and transitional justice, and pursues legal accountability for war crimes through cases filed in European jurisdictions (Germany, Austria, Sweden). It also provides digital security and technical support resources for journalists operating in hostile surveillance environments.

SCM's core product portfolio is structured as a program-based architecture rather than a commercial software platform. Its seven principal programs are: (1) Journalists' House (البيت الصحفي), offering support, protection, and investigative reporting assistance for journalists; (2) Accountability and Transitional Justice, conducting legal proceedings against Syrian regime officials; (3) Hate and Violence Speech Observatory, monitoring incitement discourse; (4) Enabling Syrian Civil Society Participation in the Peace Process, supporting victims' groups including the Caesar Families Association; (5) Violations Watch, documenting human rights incidents; (6) Studies and Research, publishing thematic reports; and (7) Digital Security Support, providing technical guides on secure communication and device protection. Distribution occurs through a trilingual website (Arabic, English, Kurdish) at scm.bz, email newsletters, press statements, and engagement with international forums including the UN Human Rights Council.

The organization operates a donation-based non-profit revenue model with no commercial pricing. Funding flows through bank transfers (Credit Mutuel France, IBAN disclosed publicly) and PayPal (PayPal.Me/scmfrance340). Beneficiary segments are diffuse — Syrian journalists and media professionals, civil society organizations, and a general public seeking digital safety information — with no fee-for-service offering. The headcount of 11–50 staff supports a lean operational footprint consistent with a specialized civil society institution rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Scm Atlas

Legal name

CENTRE SYRIEN DE MEDIAS ET DE LA LIBERTE D'EXPRESSION

Website

https://scm.bz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) is a Damascus-based independent civil society organization founded in 2004 that documents media freedom violations, provides digital security support to Syrian journalists, pursues international legal accountability for war crimes, and publishes research on transitional justice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights and Media Freedom Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK), Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Media freedom advocacy
• Human rights documentation
• Civil society support
• Transitional justice research
• Digital security training

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization operates primarily through donations and financial contributions from supporters. Donation information is publicly available on its website, including bank transfer details (Credit Mutuel, France) and PayPal, indicating a donor-funded operational model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), referred to as Scm Atlas, is an independent non-governmental civil society organization that documents violations against journalists and media professionals in Syria, delivers digital security training and protective resources, conducts research on media freedom and transitional justice, and pursues criminal accountability through legal cases in international courts. It runs a portfolio of programs including the Journalists' House, Violations Watch, the Hate and Violence Speech Observatory, Accountability and Transitional Justice, and civil society peace process participation. The organization operates as a donor-funded nonprofit funded via bank transfers and PayPal.

Product overview

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) is a civil society organization that does not operate a technology product platform. Instead, it offers a portfolio of advocacy programs and initiatives focused on protecting media freedom and human rights in Syria. Its core programs include the Journalists' House (providing journalist support and investigative reporting), the Accountability and Transitional Justice Program (pursuing legal accountability through international courts), the Hate and Violence Speech Observatory (monitoring incitement), Enabling Syrian Civil Society Participation in the Peace Process (civil society empowerment), Violations Watch (human rights documentation), Studies and Research (publications), and Digital Security Support (technical assistance for activists). The organization also issues press statements, maintains a library of resources, and publishes a video library. SCM operates in Arabic, English, and Kurdish languages, serving the Syrian civil society community rather than offering a commercial software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Filed legal complaints in Germany and Austria against Syrian regime officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, resulting in an international arrest warrant issued by the German prosecutor and circulated via INTERPOL against Jamil Hassan, head of Syrian Air Force Intelligence.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IFIAS (International Institute for Aid and Solidarity)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2007An agreement was signed between the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) and IFIAS (International Institute for Aid and Solidarity), establishing a formal cooperation framework between the two organizations. This partnership, signed on August 8, 2007, represents a strategic collaboration focused on mutual support in the areas of media freedom and human rights.
• Rome Conference PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCM partnered with the organizers of the Rome conference, which discussed the files of missing persons on migration routes to Europe. The conference, held in Rome, was organized in partnership with SCM and brought together stakeholders to address the issue of missing persons.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières) is referenced as an international partner organization working on press freedom issues globally. SCM has collaborated with RSF on advocacy for Syrian journalists and attended joint meetings. RSF advocated internationally for Syrian journalist Atta Farhat and worked closely with SCM on press freedom cases.

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• WITNESS: Supports use of video for human rights documentation and accountability. Adjacent in function to SCM's Violations Watch, though SCM's scope is broader.

Direct peers

• Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR): A Syrian NGO that monitors and documents human rights violations and produces casualty statistics, directly comparable to SCM's Violations Observatory. Both share Syrian focus, documentation methodology, and international advocacy.
• ARTICLE 19: International freedom-of-expression organization focused on digital rights, press freedom, and policy advocacy. Closely aligned with SCM's media-freedom and digital-rights work.
• Syrian Center for Justice and Accountability (SCJA): Specializes in documenting war crimes in Syria and supporting universal-jurisdiction cases in Europe. Highly comparable to SCM's Accountability and Transitional Justice program.

Broad incumbents

• EuroMed Rights: Euro-Mediterranean human rights network. Comparable as a regional NGO coalition supporting civil society, including Syrian advocacy.
• Human Rights Watch: Global human rights organization that publishes country-level reporting on Syria. Comparable in documentation and UN advocacy functions, but at vastly larger scale.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): International press-freedom advocacy organization that documents journalist abuses and conducts advocacy. Comparable mission to SCM's Journalists' House program, but operating globally.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Advocates for digital civil liberties including secure communications and journalist protection. Comparable to SCM's digital security and freedom-of-expression mission.
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF): Global press-freedom organization. SCM has a documented partnership with RSF (joint advocacy for Atta Farhat), making it a close operational counterpart with broader geographic scope.

Emerging players

• Access Now: Digital rights organization that defends internet freedom and provides digital security resources to activists and journalists, comparable to SCM's Digital Security Support program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scm-ngo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scm Atlas