9/24/21, 8:16 PM Why Facebook is losing the war on hate speech in Myanmar For many people in this emerging economy, Facebook is the internet: It’s so dominant, it’s the only site they use online. Yet, the company ignored repeated warnings as far back as 2013 that it faced trouble. Researchers and human rights activists say they cautioned Facebook for years that its platform was being used in Myanmar to promote racism and hatred of Muslims, in particular the Rohingya. “They were warned so many times,” said David Madden, a tech entrepreneur who worked in Myanmar. He said he told Facebook officials in 2015 that its platform was being exploited to foment hatred in a talk he gave at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California. About a dozen Facebook people attended the meeting in person, including Mia Garlick, now the company’s director of Asia Pacific policy, he said. Others joined via video. “It couldn’t have been presented to them more clearly, and they didn’t take the necessary steps,” Madden said. In a statement, Garlick told Reuters: “We were too slow to respond to the concerns raised by civil society, academics and other groups in Myanmar. We don’t want Facebook to be used to spread hatred and incite violence. This is true around the world, but it is especially true in Myanmar where our services can be used to amplify hate or exacerbate harm against the Rohingya.”  HATE MONITORS: Facebook reviews hate speech in Myanmar from an outsourced operation run by Accenture and codenamed Project Honey Badger. The poster refers to employees as “silent heroes.” Source: Via Facebook She added that Facebook is focused on addressing challenges that are unique to Myanmar “through a combination of people, technology, policies and programs.” The company also said it has banned several “hate figures and organizations” on Facebook in Myanmar. Facebook’s struggles in Myanmar are among much broader problems it faces. Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony in April primarily focused on the company’s mishandling of user data, whether it censors conservative views and Russia’s exploitation of Facebook to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. “Cut off those necks of the sons of the dog and kick them into the water” April 2018 “Stuff pig’s fat inside the damn kalar’s mouth” September 2017 ���Pour fuel and set fire so that they can meet Allah faster” April 2018 https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/myanmar-facebook-hate/ 4/13