Ethiopia plans to launch Facebook rival

By Will Ross

Ethiopia says it plans to develop its own social media platforms after accusing global companies like Facebook of acting against the interests of the country.

The director of the government’s Information Network Security Agency, Shumete Gizaw, told local media that Facebook and Twitter had become instruments for political forces.

He criticised the fact that some accounts had been blocked and content removed.

Ahead of elections in June, Facebook said it had removed a network of fake accounts that were linked to the government agency that is responsible for monitoring telecommunications and the internet.

Mr Shumete also said Ethiopia was developing platforms that can substitute the messaging programme WhatsApp and the video conferencing platform Zoom.

This article was originally published by BBC News. [Photo: AFP]