Should Facebook Be Held Accountable For War Crimes?

Facebook deleted dozens of accounts in Burma over hate speech this week - REUTERS

The Telegraph: Facebook risks being dragged into war crime trials, UN warns.

The United Nations has warned Facebook that it risks being dragged into international war crimes trials for its role in future human rights violations, as it called on the social network to address hate speech more quickly.

Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein, the UN’s human rights chief, said the company risked becoming an accessory to horrific crimes and that the company had not taken violence in Burma incited on the social network seriously.

It comes after a UN report into atrocities in Burma this week said Facebook had been “a useful instrument for those seeking to spread hate”.

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WNU Editor: In countries like Myanmar the preferred means of communication and spreading news is social media. Facebook knows that, but they chose to ignore the impact that their platform was having in fermenting ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya last year. Someone in Facebook needs to be held accountable, and it should start from the top.