Meta is to pay compensation for atrocities
The human rights organization Amnesty International blames Facebook parent company Meta for the atrocities against the Rohingya in Myanmar. The company’s algorithms and profit motive contributed to human rights violations. Amnesty demands compensation.
Amnesty International is increasing pressure on Facebook parent company Meta. In a new one report the human rights organization supports the allegations that Meta bears responsibility for the atrocities against the Rohingya in Myanmar.
Background: In August 2017, more than 700,000 members of the minority fled the country after state security forces systematically killed and abused Muslim Rohingya and burned their homes. This atrocity was preceded by decades of discrimination, persecution and oppression.
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Meta complicit in atrocities against Rohingya
According to Amnesty International, Meta subsidiary Facebook made a significant contribution to the atrocities. The network ramped up anti-Rohingya content in the months and years leading up to the riots. According to the report, Facebook’s algorithms have also fueled the spread of hate speech.
However, the company has remained inactive, despite being aware that its own actions could lead to serious problems. Cristina Hatas, human rights expert at Amnesty International Germany, says:
Through his inaction and relentless pursuit of profit, Meta has contributed significantly to the serious human rights violations against the Rohingya in Myanmar. The company must be held accountable for these omissions and compensate all those who have suffered the violent consequences of their negligent actions.
Meta must also make far-reaching changes “to its business model and algorithms to prevent further human rights violations,” Hatas said.
Rohingya: Encouraging hatred as a business model
According to the human rights organization, inflammatory content and hateful messages that lead to violence, hostility and discrimination could encourage people to spend more time on Facebook. Reinforcing such content is, in turn, an essential part of Meta’s business model.
In this context, an independent United Nations commission of inquiry came to the conclusion that social media such as Facebook played a “significant role” in the atrocities. The Rohingya have therefore demanded compensation from Meta.
Meta should make compensation
Amnesty International supports the claim and has launched a campaign calling on the company to comply with the demands. For example, some Rohingya refugees have asked Meta for $1 million to fund an education project in a refugee camp in Bangladesh.
That’s just about 0.002 percent of the company’s $46.7 billion in profit. Meta has so far rejected the application on the grounds that it “does not want to be directly involved in philanthropic activities”.
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