An Ethiopian man whose father was murdered during the country's war has joined a lawsuit against Meta that is seeking $1.6 billion from Facebook's parent company for allegedly fanning hate speech in Africa. "If Facebook had just stopped the spread of hate and moderated posts properly, my father would still be alive," said Abrham Meareg, who is also Tigrayan and an academic like his father. Mutemi said Facebook acknowledged the content violated community standards but a year later one of the violent posts was still online. The international community has condemned hate speech and dehumanising rhetoric during the two-year conflict, which has seen all sides accused of atrocities amid warnings of ethnic cleansing. In late 2021, Rohingya refugees sued Facebook for $150 billion, claiming the social network failed to stem hate speech directed against them.

Source: Ethiopian News December 15, 2022 10:52 UTC