Amnesty Report: Facebook promoted violence against Rohingya; Meta owes reparations

28 September — An alarming new report out today from Amnesty International documents how “Facebook owner Meta’s dangerous algorithms and reckless pursuit of profit substantially contributed to the atrocities perpetrated by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya people.”

The Social Atrocity: Meta and the right to remedy for the Rohingya (linked here) details how Meta knew or should have known that Facebook’s algorithmic systems were supercharging the spread of harmful anti-Rohingya content in Myanmar, but the company still failed to act.

“In 2017, the Rohingya were killed, tortured, raped, and displaced in the thousands as part of the Myanmar security forces’ campaign of ethnic cleansing. In the months and years leading up to the atrocities, Facebook’s algorithms were intensifying a storm of hatred against the Rohingya which contributed to real-world violence,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

The Real Facebook Oversight Board said in response that “In spite of Meta’s whitewashed claims of integrity on human rights, the company continues to hide and ignore horrific abuses that compromise the safety, rights and autonomy of targeted communities around the world.”

A petition can be signed here urging action from Meta.

Real Facebook Oversight Board members are available for interviews. Statements do not reflect the individual positions of all Real Facebook Oversight Board Members. Contact us at media@the-citizens.com.