• Abrham Meareg’s father died in the civil war.
• The case has been submitted to the High Court of Kenya.

A judicial complaint asserts that Facebook’s algorithm played a role in contributing to the widespread dissemination of hatred and violence during Ethiopia‘s civil war.

Abrham Meareg, whose father was an Ethiopian academic who was assaulted in Facebook posts before his death, is one of the plaintiffs in the case against Meta.

They demand adjustments to the platform’s algorithm as well as a $2 billion (£1.6 billion) fund for victims of hate speech on Facebook.

Meta stated that it made significant investments in moderation and technology to eliminate hate.

A spokesman stated that the rules of the platform prohibit both the expression of hate speech and the encouragement of violence.

“Our safety-and-integrity work in Ethiopia is guided by feedback from local civil society organizations and international institutions,” the representative said.

The campaign organization Foxglove is providing support for the case, which has been submitted to the High Court of Kenya.

Meta maintains a content moderation center in Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The struggle between the Ethiopian government and forces in the northern Tigray region has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, and another 400,000 people are currently suffering in conditions that are comparable to famine.

A surprising peace agreement was reached just one month ago; yet, in recent weeks there has been an increase in killings between communities speaking Amhara and Oromo. These killings have been motivated by ethnic tensions.

The year before last, Mr. Meareg’s father was killed in one of the attacks that took place in the country.

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