RantCrush Top 5: February 7, 2017

Syrian refugee Anas Modamani is suing Facebook for allowing users to repost his selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in connection with fake news stories. Modamani met Merkel when she visited the Berlin shelter he was staying at in 2015; he was only 19 at the time. The two took a selfie, and he proudly posted it on his Facebook page. But soon, people from the alt-right and anti-immigration movements started spreading the picture and associating it with terrorism. For example, it was used alongside fake news stories about the Brussels attack and the Berlin Christmas market attack, implying that Modamani was the perpetrator. Even though he has taken down the original photo, copies keep spreading.

#TECH A Syrian refugee is suing Facebook to stop fake news https://t.co/oWoGh5KkTA pic.twitter.com/cLFA2gHrLt #News #Technology #aws #startup

— TGVIA (@TGVIA) February 6, 2017

This is only one of several ongoing cases against Facebook in Germany. The company claims that this is an issue of defamation, and the people sharing the photo should be held responsible, not Facebook. A ruling is expected on March 3.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.