LEAHY: We all agree with that. 181 1 2 137. In a statement to Reuters, Mia Garlick, Facebook’s director of Asia Pacific 3 Policy, stated: “We were too slow to respond to concerns raised by civil society, academics and 4 other groups in Myanmar. We don’t want Facebook to be used to spread hatred and incite 5 violence. This … is especially true in Myanmar where our services can be used to amplify hate 6 or exacerbate harm against the Rohingya.”182 7 138. 8 We have a responsibility to fight abuse on Facebook. This is especially true in countries like Myanmar where many people are using the internet for the first time and social media can be used to spread hate and fuel tension on the ground. 9 10 The ethnic violence in Myanmar is horrific and we have been too slow to prevent misinformation and hate on Facebook.183 11 12 13 In August 2018, Sara Su, a Product Manager, posted on Facebook’s blog: 139. On September 5, 2018, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg testified before the U.S. Senate: 14 SEN. MARK WARNER: … Ms. Sandberg, you made mention in your opening testimony the fact that sometimes political actors are using the platforms really to incent violence. I mean, I think you’ve made at least some reference, mention of Myanmar. We’ve obviously seen a great tragedy take place there where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims are fleeing and in many ways. The U.N. High Commissioner has said that fake accounts on Facebook have incented that violence. Do you believe that Facebook has both a moral obligation and potentially even a legal obligation to take down accounts that are actually incentivizing violence? 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 181 Facebook, Social Media Privacy, and the Use and Abuse of Data, Senate Hearing 115683 before the Comm. on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, et al., 115th Cong. (Apr. 10, 2018), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-115shrg37801/html/CHRG115shrg37801.htm. 182 Steve Stecklow, Why Facebook is losing the war on hate speech in Myanmar, REUTERS (Aug. 15, 2018), https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/myanmar-facebook-hate/ (emphasis added). 183 Sara Su, Update on Myanmar, FACEBOOK NEWSROOM (Aug. 15, 2018), https://about.fb.com/news/2018/08/update-on-myanmar/. CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT 58 Case No. __________________