Annie Njanja reports:
A lawsuit against Facebook’s parent company Meta was filed earlier today in Kenya’s High Court over its alleged role in fueling violence and hate in eastern and southern Africa.
The case claims that Meta has failed to employ enough safety measures on Facebook, which has in turn fueled conflict that has led to deaths, including of 500,000 Ethiopians during the recently ended Tigray War.
Meta provided TechCrunch with a statement defending its commitment and the steps they take to prevent hate speech and violence. You can read more about the situation and Meta’s response at TechCrunch.
Over the past years, we have seen repeated examples of how information and disinformation on social media platforms can have a massive impact on society and violence offline. Although some militantly oppose any censorship or restrictions, others believe there has to be some line or protections for marginalized groups or those who are being targeted for violence.
Thanks to Joe Cadillic for sending this one along, especially since we probably don’t agree about this one.
Related?
Next month, Meta assumes the chair of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT)’s Operating Board. GIFCT is an NGO that brings together technology companies to tackle terrorist content online through research, technical collaboration and knowledge sharing. Meta is a founding member of GIFCT, which was established in 2017 and has evolved into a nonprofit organization following the 2019 Christchurch Call, which brings together member companies, governments and civil society organizations to tackle terrorist and violent extremist content online.
Read more at FB.com.
Also h/t, Joe Cadillic