Oversight Board raises alarm over Facebooks role in Ethiopian conflict

The Oversight Board set up by Facebook issued a decision today calling on the platform to begin an independent assessment of the platform’s role in heightening the risk of violence in Ethiopia, as part of a more specific ruling on a post that made unfounded claims about Tigrayan civilians.

The ruling comes a year into an ongoing civil war between Ethiopian government and rebels in the northern Tigray region of the country, which has created a humanitarian crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of people facing famine-like conditions and driven millions from their homes.

Facebook has come under fire for its role in the Ethiopian conflict, with observers drawing parallels with the company’s role in the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in...

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