Kenya Court Rules Meta Can Be Sued Over Content in Ethiopia Violence
Kenya's High Court ruled that Meta can be sued over allegations that its Facebook platform promoted violent content during Ethiopia's 2020-2022 Tigray civil war. Plaintiffs, including researchers and The Katiba Institute, allege that the platform's recommendation algorithms amplified content inciting violence, with one plaintiff claiming his father was killed following threatening Facebook posts.
What happened
The High Court of Kenya ruled on Thursday that Meta can be sued in the country over its alleged role in disseminating content that incited violence in Ethiopia during the 2020-2022 civil war in the Tigray region. The case was initiated by The Katiba Institute and two Ethiopian researchers, Abrham Meareg and Fisseha Tekle, charging Meta with promoting harmful content from November 2020 to November 2022.
One plaintiff, Abrham Meareg, alleges his father Meareg Amare Abrha, an academic at Bahir Dar University, was killed outside his home in 2021 following threatening posts on Facebook that included details about where he lived and false allegations of corruption and support for the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front. Fisseha Tekle, a former Amnesty International researcher, states he faced hateful posts and activity on Facebook for his human rights work in Ethiopia.
Reported impact
The plaintiffs allege that Facebook's recommendation algorithms amplified violent content during the Tigray war. They charge that Meta's algorithm recommends content amounting to propaganda for war, incitement to violence, and advocacy to Facebook users in Kenya, and that Meta grants preferential treatment to users in other countries compared to Facebook users in Africa, stating "the darker the content, the higher the likelihood it will be prioritized."
Index analysis
The court rejected Meta's argument that local courts lacked authority to hear the case in a country where the company is not registered. Kenya's High Court emphasized the importance of addressing such global matters in local courts, with the Katiba Institute executive director stating that the court recognized homegrown issues must be addressed directly in Kenya's courts.
Governance controls
Meta has previously stated it invested heavily in content moderation and has removed hateful content from the platform. However, the plaintiffs are demanding that Meta establish a restitution fund for victims of hate and violence and make changes to Facebook's algorithms to prevent the amplification of harmful content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.