Meta is facing backlash in Nigeria after a user found an in-app notification that was described as discriminatory. Techpoint reported that Nigerian Instagram user Daniel Adebowale shared a screenshot of his conversation partner on social media, telling him that the user “appeared to be in Nigeria” and urged the user to avoid sharing personal information unless they knew the person. The post caused an uproar on social media, as several Nigerian users accused Meta of unfairly targeting the country. Meta, however, denied the allegation, explaining that the alert was part
Atlanta-based entrepreneur and activist Kiandria Demone is leading a campaign to prevent a white Minnesota woman from receiving over $750,000 in donations after she was filmed hurling a racial slur at a young Black child. The incident Shiloh Hendrix was caught on camera calling a five-year-old Black boy the n-word while at a playground in Rochester, Minnesota. She later launched a campaign on GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding platform known for hosting fundraisers for Daniel Penny, Luigi Mangione, and Kyle Rittenhouse. She claimed she needed the money for her safety and
A new dataset in the form of maps highlighted how many African workers are indirectly employed in the tech sector. These employees tend to do content moderation, customer service, and data annotation for AI models, as well as other jobs. Tech firms that provide outsourced digital labor for big tech companies tend to be discreet about their staff. This allows tech companies to distance themselves legally and ethically from their employees, experts explained to Rest of World. African workforces building AI The map shows the flow of data and knowledge
Meta is threatening to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Nigeria after losing a court appeal over $290 million in fines tied to regulatory and data privacy violations, the BBC reports. $290M in fines The showdown began in 2021 when Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) launched an investigation into WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy. The agency, along with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and the national advertising regulator, accused Meta of multiple infractions. These include sharing user data without authorization, discriminating against Nigerian users compared to other
Cluley, an AI tool that helps users “cheat” in real life, raised $5.3 million in seed funding backed by Abstract Ventures and Susa Ventures. Chungin “Roy” Lee, CEO of Cluey, went viral in March for creating an AI tool that allegedly “cheats” in job interviews. He was suspended from Columbia for posting content from a disciplinary hearing, as stated by the university. His new venture, Cluely, allows users to analyze what’s on their screens, hear audio, and suggest answers to questions. This is all done without detection from the other
Meta is facing a lawsuit in Ghana as content moderators who experienced severe psychological harm caused by taking down disturbing social media content, including depictions of murders, extreme violence, and child sexual abuse. Lawyers are preparing for court action against a company contracted by Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, following a meeting with moderators at a facility in Ghana that allegedly employs approximately 150 people. This is the second lawsuit Meta is facing in Africa. Why is Meta facing a lawsuit in Ghana? Moderators working for Majorel in Accra claim that
AI chatbots on Meta’s platforms like Facebook and Instagram can have sexually explicit conversations with users, including those who are underage. The findings were highlighted in a report by the Wall Street Journal. Meta is pushing to promote AI-powered digital companions, which Mark Zuckerberg believes will be the future of social media. However, staff workers across multiple departments have raised concerns about the ethical lines these bots have crossed. The WSJ reported that the employees also felt that the company was not doing enough to protect minors from inappropriate conversations.
Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has imposed a fine of $220 million on Meta and WhatsApp for breaching the country’s data protection and consumer rights laws. The fine was issued following a comprehensive investigation, which the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal upheld on Friday, 25 April 2025. It must be paid within 60 days, as stated by TechPoint. Why Meta must pay a $220 million fine? The FCCPC and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) identified several violations, including the unauthorized sharing of Nigerian users’ data, inadequate
Vodacom supports the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (ICASA) commitment to prevent Starlink from operating in the country. The telecom company states that satellite operators, such as Starlink, should be held to the same standards as other terrestrial operators who must comply with local ownership rules, as noted by My Broadband. Vodacome supporting Starlink’s ban in South Africa Elon Musk’s company, Starlink, has not applied for the mandatory Electronic Communications Network Services (ECNS) and Electronic Communications Services (ECS) licenses required to operate legally in South Africa. ICASA confirmed that
The Distributed AI Research (DAIR) Institute is calling on social media companies to address the spread of violent speech and warmongering on their platforms to stop a looming war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Researchers at the institute have spent three years analyzing social media platforms’ role in exacerbating the 2020-2022 Tigray war and believe similar failures are happening again. “We performed computational analyses to quantify the level of hate speech on these platforms, and interviewed content moderators to better understand the organizational practices that have resulted in the platforms’ failures
