This bloodshed was supercharged by the almost-instant and widespread sharing of hate speech and incitement to violence on Facebook, which whipped up people’s anger. Soon, the same people who’d been calling for genocide and attacks against specific religous or ethnic groups were openly posting photographs of burned-out cars, buildings, schools and houses, the Network Against Hate Speech, a volunteer group tracking hate speech in Ethiopia, told VICE News. And rather than helping to unify the country, Facebook has simply amplified existing tensions on a massive scale. In Myanmar, Facebook allowed hate speech to spread unchecked against the Rohingya Muslim minority, despite the warnings of activists on the ground. “This legislation that tries to tackle both hate speech and disinformation, that’s super dangerous,” Kaye said.

Source: Ethiopian News September 16, 2020 04:41 UTC