Facebook bans more groups linked to violence in Burma
The social network said there was ‘clear evidence’ the organisations had been responsible for attacks against civilians.
Facebook has identified and banned four more groups as dangerous organisations in its latest crackdown on content promoting ethnic violence in Burma.
The social network said it would remove any praise, support or representation of the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Kachin Independence Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army as soon as they became aware of its existence.
“There is clear evidence that these organisations have been responsible for attacks against civilians and have engaged in violence in Myanmar, and we want to prevent them from using our services to further inflame tensions on the ground,” Facebook explained.
“We don’t want anyone to use Facebook to incite or promote violence, no matter who they are.”
The move follows action last year by the company, in which it banned Burma’s powerful military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and 19 other individuals and groups in a bid to prevent the spread of hate and misinformation.
According to the United Nations, more than 700,000 Muslim Rohingya people have fled the country to Bangladesh due to “widespread and systematic ethnic violence” since August 2017.
The military has been accused of abuse, rape and murder of the predominantly Muslim Rohingya while also destroying their homes and villages.
Facebook has been under increased pressure to deal with a deluge of issues in recent years, including data breaches, allegations of business malpractice, repeated electoral interference and the rampant spread of disinformation and hate speech on the platform.
