What Could Meta’s US Settlement Mean Around the World – and What Now for Other Claims Against Firm?

The recent $18 billion settlement between Meta and 29 US states has been hailed as a landmark victory in regulating the power of social media giants. However, beneath this surface-level success lies a complex web of implications that are both nuanced and disturbing.

In Ethiopia’s northern town of Bahir Dar, Professor Meareg’s father was brutally murdered by thugs egged on by Facebook’s algorithm. The company’s response to pleas to remove incendiary posts calling for his death was deafening silence. This case, brought by Meareg against Meta in Kenya, represents the darkest side of global connectivity: a worldwide digital commons owned by an unaccountable US company that shapes reality for billions without regard for their lives or well-being.

The settlement’s concessions – limiting children’s use and blocking night-time usage – may seem like progress, but they are largely cosmetic. Arturo Béjar, a former Facebook employee turned whistleblower, astutely observed that these measures “are the equivalent of saying you can smoke as many cigarettes as you want in two hours a day – it doesn’t make them any safer.” In war zones, creaking democracies, or regions with fragile human rights records, such changes are nothing more than Band-Aids.

The real issue at stake is Meta’s algorithm, designed to keep users scrolling and clicking on ads. This system has amplified content promoting the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Myanmar, contributed to Donald Trump’s election victory, and exposed teenage girls to anorexia influencers. By allowing these algorithms to run unchecked, social media companies are complicit in perpetuating hate speech, disinformation, and radicalization.

Governments outside the US must now consider their next moves: can they confront this reality? Will they have the courage to demand real change from Meta and other tech behemoths? Or will they follow suit with half-hearted regulations that fail to address the core problems?

The stakes are high. As seen in Kenya, where Meareg’s case against Meta is finally moving forward after years of delays, it may take groups and individuals pushing from outside to force these changes. In the Netherlands, Repro Uncensored is leading the charge with their ongoing legal battle against Meta for alleged discrimination against queer accounts.

Martha Dimitratou, executive director of Repro Uncensored, framed the next stage of accountability: “We must address not only addictive design but algorithms, discriminatory moderation, and automated decision-making. These systems shape civic participation and democracy – and the companies controlling them must be held accountable globally.” The clock is ticking.

The Meta settlement may have marked a minor victory in one corner of the globe, but it’s time to confront the elephant in the room: our global digital commons is being shaped by unaccountable US corporations with no regard for human life or dignity. It’s up to us – governments, activists, and ordinary citizens alike – to demand real change and ensure that these companies are held accountable for their actions worldwide.

The world needs more than half-measures; it needs a fundamental shift in how we govern the digital realm. As Meareg so eloquently put it: “It’s a matter of numbers to them, a matter of statistics. It has been proven multiple times that our lives do not matter to them.” Let’s make sure their reckoning is just around the corner.