Facebook admits it does not do enough to prevent violence in Myanmar

NEW YORK – Facebook admits it has not done enough to prevent its services from being used to incite violence and spread hatred in Myanmar.

Alex Warofka, a product policy manager, said in a blog that Facebook "can and must do more" to protect human rights and ensure that it is not used to foment the divide and spread violence offline in the country.

Facebook commissioned the non-profit organization Business for Social Responsibility to study the company's role in Myanmar and published the group's 62-page report on Monday night.

Facebook has been heavily criticized for being allowed to use to ignite ethnic and religious conflicts in the country, particularly against Rohingya Muslim minorities. The report confirms this and proposes recommendations, including the preparation of "massive chaos and manipulation" in the country's legislative elections in 2020.

"Facebook has become a way for those seeking to spread hatred and harm, and publications are related to violence offline," the report says. "A minority of users are looking to use Facebook as a platform to undermine democracy and incite violence offline, including serious crimes under international law."

The report on Myanmar comes as Facebook and other social media companies are facing a host of problems to deal with people, groups and nations determined to use their services for malicious purposes, that is to say. it is to incite violence, spread hate messages, propaganda and misinformation or mingle with the world in elections.

Facebook strives to spread disinformation in the United States, but also cares about people who use its platforms to incite violence in Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere. Late Monday, Facebook announced the closure of 30 Facebook accounts and 85 Instagram accounts for suspicion of "coordinated inauthentic behavior" linked to foreign groups trying to interfere in Tuesday's mid-term negotiations in the United States.

Facebook and smartphones have quickly entered Myanmar, and the report says that this has resulted in a "steep learning curve for users, policymakers, and civil society." The report states that Facebook "is the Internet" for many Myanmar and that it has played an important role in supporting freedom of expression and helping activists to organize .

At the same time, according to the report, hatred and harassment lead to the self-censorship of "vulnerable groups such as political activists, human rights defenders, women and minorities".

Facebook released the report on the eve of mid-term elections in the United States, prompting critics to question the timing of the election, as so many people were focusing on news. ;other information. Facebook said the report focused on "Myanmar stakeholders," for whom US elections are not a priority. Facebook also said that he had promised to share the results of the assessment once he would have obtained them.

The report acknowledges that Facebook has made progress, but adds that "there is still a lot of work to be done". In August, the company banned the Myanmar army chief and 19 other people and organizations from serving his services to prevent the spread of hatred and misinformation.

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