![]() Meanwhile, hateful pockets of internet users continue to inflict harm in the public squares that social networks have come to be. For years women, queer activists and ethnic and racial minorities have been outspoken about the inaction. But they continue to struggle against social media companies driven by profit, with community standards that don’t serve all communities. Increased internet penetration has allowed a growth in online presence for marginalized social groups. Facebook is still blocked in Uganda almost two years after the violent elections of 2021. Some have shut down the networks when their power has been threatened, or over election-related concerns. Many governments in Africa have often sought to ally themselves with companies to restrict the rights of users with freedom of expression, seen as a threat by most. Yet the networks are playing catch up in response to safety needs. Social media use has grown considerably across the continent – around 12 per cent of Af ricans were on Facebook in 2020, the most popular platform after WhatsApp and YouTube. While the Meta case is the first in Africa, it shows the demand for social media companies to be accountable for online harm and their impact on life offline. The case came at the end of 2022, a relatively volatile year in the world of social networks with Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and the deteriorating content moderation of the platform. The petitioners in the case want to compel Meta to create a $1.6 billion victims’ fund. Over the past two years thousands of civilians have died in Ethiopia in various conflicts, the most prominent being in the Tigray region. ![]() ![]() Petitioners in the case claim that the company promoted posts that led to ethnic violence and killings in Ethiopia, due to the way Facebook algorithms recommend content. Legal action has been launched against Facebook owners Meta in Nairobi, Kenya. EU CIVIL PROTECTION AND HUMANITARIAN AID VIA FLICKR A man looks at the Qoloji displacement camp, the largest in Ethiopia. A court case shows the continent’s demand for social media companies to be accountable for their impact offline, columnist Resebell Kagumire writes.
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