Rohingya refugees have sued the social media giant Facebook for One hundred and fifty billion dollars over claims that the social network is failing to stem hate speech on its platform, inciting violence against the vulnerable Myanmar minority. The complaint, lodged in a California court, said the procedures that power the US-based company promote disinformation and extreme thought that translates into real-world violence. The mainly Muslim group said they are faced with widespread discrimination in Myanmar, where they are despised as intruders despite having lived in the country for generations.
A military-backed campaign that the United Nations said amounted to genocide saw hundreds of thousands of Rohingya driven across the border into Bangladesh in 2017, where they have been living in sprawling refugee camps ever since. Many others remain in Myanmar, where they are not permitted citizenship and are subject to communal violence, as well as official discrimination by the military that seized power in February. The legal complaint argues that Facebook’s algorithms drive susceptible users to join ever-more extreme groups, a situation that is open to exploitation by autocratic politicians and regimes.
Chidozie Chima | September 20, 2024
