HORRIBLE

Myanmar’s Military Fueled Rohingya Crisis With Facebook Campaign: NYT

One of the first examples of a country using the platform against it’s own people.

Myanmar’s military was behind a widespread Facebook campaign that targeted the country’s Muslim Rohingya population, according to five unnamed sources cited in a Monday report from The New York Times. The campaign, which allegedly included hundreds of military members creating troll accounts, posing as prominent celebrities, and sharing false information about the Rohingya minority, has been condemned by human-rights groups for inciting rapes, murders, and the forced migration of at least 700,000 Rohingya. Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy confirmed to the Times that the Myanmar military was culpable, stating that the company had evidence of “clear and deliberate attempts to covertly spread propaganda that were directly linked to the Myanmar military.” He added that the company had removed some of the accounts that had been linked to the military, which boasted a combined 1.3 million followers. “Facebook in Myanmar? I don’t like it,” a legislator told the Times. “It’s been dangerous and harmful for our democratic transition.”