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Facebook Rohingya Genocide Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: Facebook is facing a pending class action lawsuit in the UK to go with an existing U..S complaint worth more than £150 billion ($250 billion).
- Why: The company is accused of helping assist the genocide of Rohingya people in Myanmar by hosting and failing to remove hate speech from its platform.
- Where: The US class action lawsuit and future UK class action lawsuit are on behalf of Rohingya people living in the United States and around the world, respectively.
Counsel in the UK says it is planning to file claims that Facebook helped enable a genocide against the Rohingya people in Myanmar, joining an existing class action lawsuit in the United States.
The proposed action was announced in the UK by Myanmar’s Muslim minority this week with lawyers giving Facebook notice it plans to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of non-U.S. resident Rohingya people, Law360 reports.
The class action lawsuit that has already been filed in the United States is worth more than £150 billion ($250 billion). It is led by plaintiff Jane Doe and was filed on behalf of Rohingya people who live in the country and alleges negligence and product liability.
Counsel for the proposed class claim Facebook allowed “toxic hatred” and “racial cleansing” to occur within the Myanmar regime by allowing extremist hate speech on its platform, Law360 reports .
Plaintiffs also allege Facebook was aware of the hate speech on its platform but chose to look the other way because it generated income for the company, Law360 reports .
“To be clear, the last five years, and in fact just the last five months, have made it abundantly clear that Facebook’s path to promote the very worst of humanity was not the result of a bug, but rather a carefully designed feature,” the complaint states.
Facebook’s Introduction into Burma Has Contributed to the Spread of Anti-Rohingya Speech, Lawsuit Alleges
Facebook was introduced into Burma back in 2011, which contributed to the spread of anti-Rohingya speech, helping lead to the atrocities, the U.S. class action lawsuit alleges.
Counsel in the UK sent a letter to Facebook earlier this week accusing the company of intentionally setting up algorithms that amplified hate speech against the Rohingya people, Law360 reports. The letter also argues that Facebook failed to take down posts that contained hate speech or to shut down groups which were dedicated to acts of violence against Rohingya people.
UK Counsel has also implored Facebook to allow any current or former employees to speak on the matter who may otherwise have confidentiality provisions.
“A number of whistleblowers have already made statements about Facebook’s role in Myanmar,” the letter states. “As legitimate public interest grows, we anticipate that many more will come forward.”
Also this month, Facebook, which recently changed its name to Meta, has been asked to sell Giphy over concerns the recent acquisition would hinder fair market competition.
Do you believe Facebook bears responsibility for the genocide of Rohingya people in Myanmar? Let us know in the comments!
The U.S. plaintiff is represented by Rafey S. Balabanian of Edelson PC and Richard Fields of Fields PLLC.
The Facebook Rohingya Genocide Class Action Lawsuit is Doe v. Facebook, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo.
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