Kenya v Big Tech: Platform Accountability Across Borders
For years, digital rights activists across the Global South have complained about various harms linked to social media platforms; today, several are taking Big Tech to court. Kenya is currently host to unprecedented lawsuits against Meta Inc. (formerly Facebook). The first two lawsuits relate to the working conditions of content moderators and allege unreasonable work conditions, union busting, unlawful termination, and discrimination. In the third lawsuit, the plaintiffs argue that Facebook actively fueled ethnic violence in Ethiopia's civil war by amplifying and failing to moderate hateful and dangerous content. Why and how did these lawsuits come about? Why in Kenya and at this moment specifically? Most importantly, what do they mean for the future of platform accountability, not only in the region, but across the globe? This talk focuses on these three lawsuits to reflect on the broader challenges and opportunities for the future of global movements seeking accountability from Big Tech. Emerging at the complex intersection of human rights advocacy, journalism, unionizing, litigation and tech policy, Nothias argues that these lawsuits herald a new era in platform accountability characterized by greater professionalization, confrontationality and ever-more complex strategic work across borders.
Lunch will be served.
