Meta sued for $1.6 billion for spreading hateful content on Facebook

Two Ethiopian citizens, with the support of several international organizations, filed a lawsuit against the Meta company (recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation), demanding payments in the amount of $1.6 billion, reports The Guardian. The plaintiffs allege that the algorithms of Meta’s social network Facebook operate in such a way as to facilitate the spread of hate speech, and the social network itself does not moderate such content sufficiently. According to the plaintiffs, this had a tragic effect on the situation in the Ethiopian province of Tigray – such publications contributed to the intensification of the armed conflict and the death of civilians.

The lawsuit was filed in the High Court of Kenya, since Meta’s office in the African continent is located in this country. One of the plaintiffs is Fisseha Tekle, a former Amnesty International employee, and the other is Abrham Meareg, whose father Amare Meareg, a university professor, was killed weeks after Facebook posts inciting violence against him began to surface. The lawsuit was supported by seven international organizations, including Amnesty International and the Kenyan human rights organization Katiba Institute. The plaintiffs point out that Meta did not hire enough moderators to deal with the infringing content. And in general, they believe, the company is slower to respond to crises on the African continent than in other regions of the world. They intend to hold Meta accountable for its “disastrous business model.” “If Facebook stopped the spread of hate and properly moderated the posts, my father would be alive now,” Abraham Meareg said, adding that he is seeking justice for the millions of Africans who have suffered “from Facebook’s greed.” The plaintiffs intend to create a special fund to help victims of hatred and violence and transfer there the funds they hope to receive from Meta through the courts.

Alena Miklashevskaya