Ethiopian Leader At UN Assembly Decries Use of Social Media to Spread Messages of Hate and Bigotry

21 September 2016

As much as social media offers a digital platform to improve exchange of information and enhance popular participation, its attendant negative impacts simply cannot be ignored, Hailemariam Dessalegn, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, told the United Nations General Assembly today.

"In fact, we are seeing how misinformation could easily go viral via social media and mislead many people, especially the youth," he said in his address to the annual general debate, adding: "Social media has certainly empowered populists and other extremists to exploit people's genuine concerns and spread their message of hate and bigotry without any inhibition."

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