Meta Platform Inc’s (NASDAQ: FB) Oversight Board has asked Facebook to independently assess its role in increasing the likelihood of violence in Ethiopia. The board came to this decision after a post that made baseless claims on Tigrayan civilians.
It has been two years since the civil war between Ethiopia’s Tigray region and its government began. The war has caused millions of people to lose their homes and forced others into a famine.
With the ongoing humanitarian crisis, critics blame Facebook for worsening the conflict
.others have even compared it to its role in the genocide in Myanmar, which left many Rohingya Muslims dead. In that case, military personnel from Myanmar used their platform on Facebook to fuel hate against Rohingya Muslims.
The Oversight Board has asked Meta to assess how Facebook has been a tool for spreading hate and misinformation and increased the risk of violence in Ethiopia. In addition, they have asked the platform to create guidelines during wars and conflicts and add them to their policy.
Lawmakers in E.U propose laws to regulate social media companies
This news comes after lawmakers in the E.U proposed regulating big tech companies. They showed overwhelming support for the law, which added more restrictions to the Digital Services Act (DSA). While it is still awaiting parliamentary approval, the legislators hope to enforce the law by January 1, 2023. Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistle-blower, hopes that the DSA could provide a global standard for making tech giants accountable.
The lawmakers will also need to negotiate the law with EU countries and the European Commission, which previously proposed less strict laws for big tech giants.
Bernstein Liebhard, an investor rights law firm, also reminds investors to file a plaintiff motion against Facebook before December 27, 2021. The lawsuit alleges that the company violated the Security Act of 1934.
Facebook launches professional mode
Meanwhile, the company has announced a professional mode for Facebook content creators. This move will enable content creators to access their profile insights, audience, and posts from one page. While the platform is currently testing the feature with a few profiles from the U.S., it plans to implement it next year fully.
