Rohingya refugees from Myanmar filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc, (Facebook), for $150 billion, claiming that the social media company did not take action against hate speech against them, which contributed to the violent attacks or even attempted genocide, according to ongoing investigations.
The class action was filed in California on Monday by the law firms Edelson PC and Fields PLLC and the text of the lawsuit stresses that the company's failures in controlling the content and design of its platform contributed to the violence against the community of Rohingya, in the real world and not only in the online world.
In a coordinated action, British lawyers also filed a warning letter at Facebook's London headquarters.
The Facebook did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the lawsuit.
The company has previously said that it was «slow to take action to prevent misinformation and hatred» against the Rohingya in Myanmar and that it has since taken steps to combat such phenomena. Among the measures taken was the banning of the military from Facebook and Instagram after the February 1 coup.
Facebook states that it is not liable for user-posted content based on a PA Internet law known as Section 230, which provides that online platforms are not liable for content posted by third parties.
