Facebook is facing yet more headaches over its content moderation in Kenya after human rights group Global Witness revealed that the social media giant had failed to detect hate-speech ads in the run-up to the general election on 9 August.
Facebook approved 20 adverts that included hate speech and incitement, which Global Witness had submitted as test cases. Meta, Facebook’s owner, boasted only last month about its readiness for the elections, waxing lyrical about how it was investing in people and technology.
The damning findings elicited a swift response from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), which threatened to recommend a ban on Facebook. The government immediately stepped in to reassure Kenyans – and the world – that it would not ban the platform or shut down the internet during the election.
