Anti-Muslim content fed into the 2018 riots leading to the country blocking access to Facebook, which is ramping up ways to protect vulnerable groups
Facebook has apologised for its role in the deadly communal unrest that shook Sri Lanka two years ago after an investigation found that hate speech and rumours spread on the platform may have led to violence against Muslims.
“We deplore the misuse of our platform,” Facebook said in a statement to Bloomberg News after the findings were released on Tuesday. “We recognise, and apologise for, the very real human rights impacts that resulted.” Article One said one civil society organisation had tried to engage with the company on the misuse of Facebook as far back as 2009.
“In Sri Lanka ... we are reducing the distribution of frequently reshared messages, which are often associated with clickbait and misinformation,” Facebook said in a statement accompanying reports, which also looked at Indonesia and Cambodia. “In some cases, women are blackmailed or even forced into abusive relationships or into situations of rape to avoid the embarrassment of nude photos being made public on Facebook’s platform,” said the report, released at the same time as the findings on Sri Lanka. “In other cases, Facebook’s platforms have been used to connect customers to sex workers, some of whom may be trafficked.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Newsdeck: Singer Bryan Adams apologizes for coronavirus conspiracy rantTORONTO, May 12 (Reuters) - Canadian singer Bryan Adams apologized on Tuesday for a social media post in which he blamed 'bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards' for the novel coronavirus.
Read more »
State admits judiciary and executive might not always agree over directives for courtsDeputy minister John Jeffery acknowledges there must be more engagement on ‘who is doing what’
Read more »
EXCLUSIVE: Vedanta’s Deshnee Naidoo eyes a mining leadership roleAfter nearly six years heading the Indian resources giant’s offshore assets, Naidoo is aiming high for her next move
Read more »
Pope praises nurses' role in fighting coronavirusThe pope says pandemic had also brought to light healthcare deficiencies in some countries.
Read more »
WATCH: Artists around the world are struggling to surviveBusiness Day TV’s Michael Avery speaks to role-players in the creative sector about how it has been affected by Covid-19
Read more »
Lesotho PM Thomas Thabane ready to step down but denies killing wifeThabane has admitted that they had 'a bit of a disagreement' just before she was killed -- two days before his inauguration.
Read more »