Facebook accused of failing to detect hate speech ahead of elections

With less than two weeks to go to the election, Facebook is in hot water after an investigation concluded that the social media app failed to detect hate speech ads in Swahili and English.

According to Global Witness and legal non-profit Foxglove, some of the ads that failed to be detected included vices like ethnic violence, rape, slaughter and beheading.

“It is appalling that Facebook continues to approve hate speech ads that incite violence and fan ethnic tensions on its platform,” said Nienke Palstra, Senior Campaigner in the Digital Threats to Democracy Campaign at Global Witness.

According to the investigations, a total of 20 ads were submitted in both languages with 17 approved. The three detected violated their Grammar and Profanity Policy.

NAIROBI, KENYA - JANUARY 17: A Kenyan man demonstrates in the Kibera slums on January 17, 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

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Foxglove then made the grammatical changes as well as removed the insults, when done, Facebook approved the ads despite the fact they had hate speech.

“In the lead up to a high stakes election in Kenya, Facebook claims its systems are even more primed for safety – but our investigation once again shows Facebook’s staggering inability to detect hate speech ads on its platform,” said Palstra.

Foxglove further stated that majority of the words used were quite dehumanising as they highlighted on several sensitive areas, however the company denied to publish the phrases in the report.

A response to the allegations was provided by Meta, Facebook’s parent company saying the team has taken “extensive steps to help Meta catch hate speech and inflammatory content in Kenya” and that they’re “intensifying these efforts ahead of the election.”

TOPSHOT - Supporters of Kenya's opposition party National Super Alliance (NASA) take shelter behind a building next to a fire as they demonstrate in Kibera slum, in Nairobi, on November 20, 2017 after Kenya's Supreme Court dismissed two petitions to overturn the country's October 26 presidential election re-run, validating the poll victory of Kenyatta. (Photo by GEORGINA GOODWIN/AFP via Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

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