Presenting its year-long report on social media channels, the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) announced today that five social media forums have been disseminating “very concerning hate speech and misinformation” that threaten Ethiopia’s peace, security and national interest.
The report conducted from January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023 on contents identified Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, YouTube, and Telegram as the forums that disseminated hate speech and misinformation.
According to the report, activists, political groups, religious leaders and journalists are the main sources of hate speech and misinformation that mainly targeted individuals, prominent personalities, and the country.
The report concluded that the spread of hate speech and misinformation on social media has placed a serious challenge on human dignity, citizens’ lives, peace and security of the country.
Ethiopian Media Authority Deputy-Director, Yonathan Tesfaye told journalists that the spread of hate speech and misinformation via these channels has become very concerning even if further research is required on the subject.
He added that more concerning is what the report found with respect to hate speech based on ethnic identity and political differences.
The spread of those items triggered tensions and conflicts in the country, the deputy director pointed out.
Recall that Ethiopia in 2020 enacted the Hate Speech and Misinformation Prevention and Suppression Proclamation to address hate speech and misinformation.
However, the proclamation was not implemented effectively due to many reasons, including lack of regulation, it was stated on the occasion.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency