Ethiopia is developing social media platforms to compete with Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp to Zoom. The east African country wants local social media to replace the giant platform.
Ethiopian -made local social media was developed amid the country's unconducive conditions. Since last year, the Ethiopian government has been embroiled in an armed conflict with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) which controls the northern Tigray region.
Supporters of both sides are not only at war in the real world, but also at war of words through social media. Because there were several accounts and posts deleted by Facebook and friends, Ethiopia decided to create its own social media.
Director General of the Information Network Security Agency (INSA) Shumete Gizaw accused Facebook of deleting account posts that he considered 'revealing the real reality in Ethiopia'. INSA is an Ethiopian government agency in charge of overseeing telecommunications and the internet.
A few days before the Ethiopian general election in June 2021, Facebook did remove a network of fake accounts targeting domestic users. The network was apparently linked to individuals associated with INSA, as quoted from Reuters, Wednesday (25/8/2021).
According to Statista data, there are currently about six million Facebook users in Ethiopia. Facebook Africa spokeswoman Kezia Anim-Addo declined to comment on Ethiopia's plans and did not respond to Shumete's allegations.
Shumete did not provide other information about Ethiopia's plans to create its own social media platform, such as launch dates, costs, and more. But they seem to be inspired by China which has its own social media.
"The reason behind the development of technology with local capacity is clear ... Why do you think China uses WeChat?" said Shumete.
n
As you know, WeChat is the most popular messaging application in China owned by Tencent. This application is expected to be a key tool for the Chinese government to monitor its citizens.
Shumete also said it would develop a platform for Facebook competitors and friends by relying on local experts, and would not ask for foreign help. Earlier to local Al-Ain Amharic media, Shumete said the Ethiopian government had tested the WhatsApp and Zoom replacement platforms that would soon be operational.