Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are suing Meta, formerly known as Facebook, for $ 150 billion.

The collective action accuses the social media giant of failing to take action against hate speech against the Rohingya.

The same rhetoric at the root of the violence facing the Rohingya community.

"The undeniable reality is that the growth of Facebook, fueled by hatred, division and disinformation, has left in its wake hundreds of thousands of Rohingya lives devastated," denounces the complaint.

A complaint filed

The lawsuit represents the Rohingya in the United Kingdom as well as the refugees in the camps in Bangladesh. Law firms Edelson PC and Fields PLLCL filed the lawsuit Monday in a California court. She says Meta's algorithms fuel and encourage misinformation and extreme thoughts that result in real-world violence. The court document states that “Facebook is like a robot programmed with a singular mission: to grow”. In support, British lawyers also submitted a notification letter to Facebook's London office. The lawsuits demand more than $ 150 billion in compensation for families affected by the genocide.

As a reminder, in 2017, an army-backed campaign drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas from the border into Bangladesh.

According to the United Nations, this is genocide.

They have since been living in refugee camps.

Another majority remained in Myanmar and subjected to community violence.

She has no right to citizenship and suffers official discrimination by the ruling military junta.

Facebook's response

An independent report from Facebook has confirmed the use of the social media network to spread hate and cause harm.

Meta has pledged to step up efforts to tackle hate speech in Myanmar.

Measures to crack down on abuse of the platform in the region had already been taken in the past.

For example, the removal of the Facebook and Instagram accounts of senior Myanmar military officials behind the February 1 coup.

The company has also entered into partnerships with several media companies, including AFP, to verify online posts and remove false ones.

For the same purpose, the platform employed dozens of people who speak the language of the country.

Slow and ineffective efforts, according to human rights defenders.

Overall, critics say, even after a hate speech alert on its platform, Facebook is not taking action.

What the UN thinks

In 2018, United Nations human rights investigators already declared that the use of Facebook had played a key role in the dissemination of hate speech that fueled violence in the region.

The filed complaint also cites a 2018 Reuters investigation. As part of the investigation, investigators found more than 1,000 examples of posts, comments and images attacking Rohingya and other Muslims on Facebook.

The letter shared in the context of the UK lawsuit mentions that, despite Facebook's acknowledgment of its shortcomings, the company has not initiated any compensation, "or any other form of reparation or support" to the survivors.

High-Tech

Facebook: Deletion of more than 500 accounts linked to a Chinese disinformation network

World

Rohingyas: Burma, accused of genocide, before the International Court of Justice

  • UN

  • Social networks

  • Burma

  • Rohingya

  • Facebook

  • Complaint

  • High-Tech

  • 0 comment

  • 0 share

    • Share on Messenger

    • Share on Facebook

    • Share on twitter

    • Share on Flipboard

    • Share on Pinterest

    • Share on Linkedin

    • Send by Mail

  • To safeguard

  • A fault ?

  • To print