A newly filed lawsuit in Kenya seeks US$1.6 billion from social media giant Meta, in order to establish a victims compensation fund on behalf of people targeted for violence in Ethiopia because of widely shared Facebook posts. Amnesty International announced Wednesday that it filed the suit along with six other…
Adama Dieng of Senegal, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, called on world leaders across the political spectrum to avoid cultivating a culture that tolerates hate speech and violent extremism. “Big massacres start always with small actions and language,” said Dieng, who has served in his…
Embattled social media company Facebook announced on Thursday it will open a new facility in Kenya to provide better content review services on the continent. Facebook is partnering with Samasource in Nairobi to open the center, a first in sub-Saharan Africa. It is expected to employ 100 people by the…
The social media giant Facebook has come under heavy fire for its admitted failures to protect user privacy, to prevent “fake news” on its platform that influences elections or hate speech that fuels unrest. That’s been true in the United States and Europe, and notably in Myanmar where misinformation has…
The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s main opposition party, said Thursday it is reporting to the country’s Equality Court over comments made by firebrand leader Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The announcement followed public comments Malema made against Athol Trollip, right, the mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay…
In troubled Cameroon, where the government is disputing a death toll of 17 in weekend protests as reported by Amnesty International, a new appeal has emerged – this time from Anglophone journalists complaining of hate speech directed at their communities by their own colleague at Vision 4. Some 45 media…
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, along with religious leaders of the world, announced on Friday the launch of a new initiative to curb atrocities rooted in faith-based incitements to violence. The launch of the Fez Plan of Action, first drafted in Morocco in April 2015, marks two years of…
Kenyan officials have proposed new regulations that would impose a fine, jail time or both for using mobile SMS and social media platforms to promote “dissemination of undesirable political messages.” Kenyan citizens are encouraged to anonymously report “potential inflammatory content,” a move that could add even more contention to a…