News Forum - Rohingya accuse Facebook of promoting hate speech in US$150 billion lawsuit

[Thaiger]

Facebook is being sued in a California court by Rohingya refugees, who accuse the social media platform of failing to combat hate speech. In a US$150 billion lawsuit, court documents allege Facebook is powered by algorithms that allow the seeds of disinformation and extremism to grow and cross over into real-life violence. “Facebook is like a robot programmed with a singular mission: to grow. The undeniable reality is that Facebook’s growth, fuelled by hate, division, and misinformation, has left hundreds of thousands of devastated Rohingya lives in its wake.” Human rights abuses and violence against the Rohingya population in Myanmar […]

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[Shade_Wilder]

There are really two questions here; should Facebook be found guilty and will Facebook be found guilty.

Will Facebook be found guilty? No.

"According to the AFP report, Facebook is protected by US law against being held accountable for content posted by its users. Those bringing the Rohingya lawsuit argue that in this instance, Burmese law, which does not afford such protections, should apply."

Burmese Law does not and will not apply in a US court. End of. Facebook is protected by US Law.

Should Facebook be found guilty? Perhaps.

I don't use Facebook, but I have read many news articles where it is demonstrated that the Facebook algorithms send people to more and more extreme material in order to gin up anger and thus 'clicks'; this was essentially what the recent Facebook whistle-blower alleged, and what many 'reformed' loonies have stated.

However, is this illegal?

Facebook will state that they do not provide the content, but merely are a platform for others to use. I dislike Facebook (from all I hear), but should this be illegal? I have trouble with that. Further, is guiding people to other material 'promoting hate speech'? If I argue with a friend over a beer and turn them into more of an extremist/hater, could I be charged? Am I responsible for them or their new views? Finally, the issue of personal responsibility must be raised; if you use Facebook, don't you have responsibility for your own clicking? No one forces you to go to a page; you choose to do so. What about personal responsibility?

I am undecided.

Anyone care to lay out why Facebook should be guilty? 

Cheers in advance.

[LoongFred]

5 minutes ago, Shade_Wilder said:

There are really two questions here; should Facebook be found guilty and will Facebook be found guilty.

Will Facebook be found guilty? No.

"According to the AFP report, Facebook is protected by US law against being held accountable for content posted by its users. Those bringing the Rohingya lawsuit argue that in this instance, Burmese law, which does not afford such protections, should apply."

Burmese Law does not and will not apply in a US court. End of. Facebook is protected by US Law.

Should Facebook be found guilty? Perhaps.

I don't use Facebook, but I have read many news articles where it is demonstrated that the Facebook algorithms send people to more and more extreme material in order to gin up anger and thus 'clicks'; this was essentially what the recent Facebook whistle-blower alleged, and what many 'reformed' loonies have stated.

However, is this illegal?

Facebook will state that they do not provide the content, but merely are a platform for others to use. I dislike Facebook (from all I hear), but should this be illegal? I have trouble with that. Further, is guiding people to other material 'promoting hate speech'? If I argue with a friend over a beer and turn them into more of an extremist/hater, could I be charged? Am I responsible for them or their new views? Finally, the issue of personal responsibility must be raised; if you use Facebook, don't you have responsibility for your own clicking? No one forces you to go to a page; you choose to do so. What about personal responsibility?

I am undecided.

Anyone care to lay out why Facebook should be guilty? 

Cheers in advance.

Yes but Facebook blocks some content but allows the opposing contents.  As such they screw the news to their acceptable narrative.  I avoid Facebook for that reason. 

[Prosaap]

But facebook did not start the problem its just a big pay out for a layer people think they can get money everywhere without working