Three big lawsuits against Meta in Kenya may have global implications

As soon as the posts appeared on Facebook, Abrham Mearag feared they would be a “death sentence” for his father. A civil war was raging in Ethiopia and Mr Abrham’s father, a chemistry professor, was of the wrong ethnicity in the wrong place at the wrong time. His name, photo and place of work all appeared on Facebook in October 2021, along with allegations that he was affiliated to rebels fighting the Ethiopian government. Mr Abrham reported the posts to moderators at Meta, Facebook’s parent company, in a desperate attempt to get them taken down. But his pleas were ignored—and on November 3rd 2021 his father was murdered.