Meta Platforms is facing a lawsuit in Kenya’s high court accusing the company of failing Africans by amplifying hate speech and incitement to violence on Facebook and calling for about US$2-billion in restitution.
The case has been filed by Ethiopian researchers Abrham Meareg and Fisseha Tekle, along with Kenyan human rights group Katiba Institute, supported by legal nonprofit Foxglove. Meareg’s father, chemistry professor Meareg Amare, was shot and killed outside his home last November after a series of hateful posts targeted him for attack, the court filings state.
The petitioners argue that the public needs protection from Facebook’s “woeful failure to address violence on its platform” and its design that “promotes and prioritises hateful, incitement and dangerous content”, according to court filings.
Read also : African Credit Fintech Finclusion Raises $2M, Rebrands To Fin
The public needs protection from Facebook’s ‘woeful failure to address violence on its platform’
Meta, which generated revenue of $117.9-billion in 2021, uses a recommendation algorithm on Facebook that promotes content that users are more likely to interact with in order to hold people’s attention. This allows people to be served more ads so the company can maximise revenue, according to the court documents.
“Content that promotes violence can and does translate to violence offline,” the documents state.
Meta says it invests in enforcing its rules against hate speech and incitement of violence.
Read also : Uganda dfcu Bank Partners CR2 for ATM, Card and Payments Platform
“Feedback from local civil society organisations and international institutions guides our safety and integrity work in Ethiopia,” the company said in a statement. “We employ staff with local knowledge and expertise and continue to develop our capabilities to catch violating content in the most widely spoken languages in the country, including Amharic, Oromo, Somali and Tigrinya.”
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry