January 25, 2022

Annual Report on Disinformation in Ethiopia

HAQCHECKReports

This report covers the disinformation trend observed in 2021.

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By HaqCheck

HaqCheck is an Ethiopia based fact-checking project that verifies media content from social to the mainstream. We fact-check in English and four local languages, widely spoken in the Horn of Africa.

Annual Report on Disinformation in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian social media landscape was evolving faster than you can refresh your page in 2021. It was rife with controversies, disinformation, and organized social media campaigns, mostly due to major political events that took place within that time. The war that broke out at the end of 2020 between forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Ethiopian federal government exacerbated propaganda campaigns targeting both locals and the international community.

Furthermore, cross-border conflicts, the 2021 sixth general election, and other issues aggravated the circulation of disinformation in 2021.

This report analyzes the causes and the major actors in the dissemination of dis/misinformation along with the platforms widely used by them. In addition to that, the tactics used by those perpetrators to deceive and manipulate their consumers are covered in-depth.

The report also covers the evolving trend of disinformation throughout the year.

Read the whole report here