Rohingya Refugees Sue Facebook over Myanmar Violence
2021-12-08
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1Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are taking legal action against Facebook's parent company.
2Their lawsuit accuses the company of failing to stop hate speech that led to violence.
3The refugees are seeking $150 million in the class-action lawsuit.
4A U.S.-based legal team filed the case Monday in California.
5The case argues that Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, should be held responsible for not doing enough to stop hateful posts on the social media service.
6The lawsuit states that hate speech that was permitted on Facebook incited violence against the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group by Myanmar's military and its supporters.
7The case is based on the combined legal claims of Rohingya refugees.
8It seeks to cover anyone worldwide who survived the violence or had a family member who died from it.
9Lawyers in Britain say they plan to bring a similar lawsuit there.
10Facebook, which recently changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms, did not immediately answer requests for comment.
11In the past, the company has admitted that it was "too slow to prevent misinformation and hate" in Myanmar.
12Facebook said it has since taken steps to reduce the spread of such content.
13Members of the Rohingya ethnic group were forced to flee violence and persecution in Myanmar starting in 2017.
14They began leaving Rakhine state after Rohingya militants launched attacks against security forces.
15The attacks led to government military action against suspected militants and their supporters.
16The United Nations has described the Myanmar military operation as a well-organized example of ethnic cleansing.
17Myanmar officials have denied the military carried out human rights abuses.
18It said the campaign was necessary to defend against attacks by Rohingya militants.
19Currently, an estimated 1 million Rohingya are living in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.
20About 10,000 refugees have come to the United States.
21United Nations human rights experts investigated the attacks against the Rohingya.
22In 2018, they said Facebook had played a part in spreading hate speech.
23Lawyers organizing the case say more than 10,000 Rohingya were killed and more than 150,000 were subjected to physical violence.
24The lawsuit argues that Facebook's algorithms helped spread hate speech against the Rohingya people.
25It says Facebook did not employ enough workers to moderate online material and block false information.
26The lawsuit also states that Facebook failed to close accounts and block posts that incited violence or used hate speech directed at the ethnic group.
27Facebook has said it is protected from liability over material posted by users under a U.S. internet law known as Section 230.
28The law states that online publishers are not liable, or legally responsible, for content posted by third parties.
29The new lawsuit seeks to use Myanmar law in relation to the claims if Section 230 is raised as a defense.
30U.S. courts can use foreign law in cases where the activity of companies caused harms in other countries.
31But two legal experts told Reuters they had not heard of a successful case of foreign law being used in lawsuits against social media companies that were linked to Section 230 protections.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are taking legal action against Facebook's parent company. Their lawsuit accuses the company of failing to stop hate speech that led to violence. 2The refugees are seeking $150 million in the class-action lawsuit. A U.S.-based legal team filed the case Monday in California. 3The case argues that Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, should be held responsible for not doing enough to stop hateful posts on the social media service. 4The lawsuit states that hate speech that was permitted on Facebook incited violence against the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group by Myanmar's military and its supporters. 5The case is based on the combined legal claims of Rohingya refugees. It seeks to cover anyone worldwide who survived the violence or had a family member who died from it. Lawyers in Britain say they plan to bring a similar lawsuit there. 6Facebook, which recently changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms, did not immediately answer requests for comment. In the past, the company has admitted that it was "too slow to prevent misinformation and hate" in Myanmar. Facebook said it has since taken steps to reduce the spread of such content. 7Members of the Rohingya ethnic group were forced to flee violence and persecution in Myanmar starting in 2017. They began leaving Rakhine state after Rohingya militants launched attacks against security forces. The attacks led to government military action against suspected militants and their supporters. 8The United Nations has described the Myanmar military operation as a well-organized example of ethnic cleansing. Myanmar officials have denied the military carried out human rights abuses. It said the campaign was necessary to defend against attacks by Rohingya militants. 9Currently, an estimated 1 million Rohingya are living in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. About 10,000 refugees have come to the United States. 10United Nations human rights experts investigated the attacks against the Rohingya. In 2018, they said Facebook had played a part in spreading hate speech. Lawyers organizing the case say more than 10,000 Rohingya were killed and more than 150,000 were subjected to physical violence. 11The lawsuit argues that Facebook's algorithms helped spread hate speech against the Rohingya people. It says Facebook did not employ enough workers to moderate online material and block false information. 12The lawsuit also states that Facebook failed to close accounts and block posts that incited violence or used hate speech directed at the ethnic group. 13Facebook has said it is protected from liability over material posted by users under a U.S. internet law known as Section 230. The law states that online publishers are not liable, or legally responsible, for content posted by third parties. The new lawsuit seeks to use Myanmar law in relation to the claims if Section 230 is raised as a defense. 14U.S. courts can use foreign law in cases where the activity of companies caused harms in other countries. But two legal experts told Reuters they had not heard of a successful case of foreign law being used in lawsuits against social media companies that were linked to Section 230 protections. 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press and Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 17We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 18____________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20class-action - adj. a case that is organized by a group of people who all have the same legal complaint 21persecution - n. the treatment of someone unfairly or cruelly because of their race, religion, or beliefs 22algorithm - n. a set of steps that are followed in order to solve a mathematical problem or to complete a computer process 23liability - n. the legal responsibility for something