Meta Accused in Lawsuit of Amplifying Hate Speech in Africa

  • Petitioners demand restitution fund from Meta’s Facebook
  • Meta asked for stronger rule enforcement in conflict countries
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Meta Platforms Inc. has been accused of amplifying hate speech and inciting violence on Facebook in Africa, in a lawsuit filed in Kenya’s high court that’s calling for about $2 billion in restitution.

The case was brought by Ethiopian researchers Abrham Meareg and Fisseha Tekle, along with Kenyan human rights group Katiba Institute, and 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.