Facebook Shares Data on International Crimes in Myanmar With UN Investigators

UN Human Rights Council set up the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM) in 2018 to collect evidence of international crimes.

By Reuters | Updated: 26 August 2020 11:19 IST

Facebook Shares Data on International Crimes in Myanmar With UN Investigators

In 2018, Facebook had removed 18 accounts and 52 pages associated with the Myanmar military

Highlights

Facebook had played a key role in spreading hate speech in Myanmar
The UN Human Rights Council set up the IIMM in 2018
FB had removed 18 accounts & 52 pages associated with Myanmar military

Facebook says it has shared data with United Nations investigators probing international crimes in Myanmar, after the lead investigator said the company was withholding evidence.

A Facebook representative told Reuters on Tuesday it had given the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM) data from pages and accounts associated with the Myanmar military that it had removed in 2018 to stop hate speech against Rohingya but declined to describe the content.

“As these investigations proceed, we will continue to coordinate with them to provide relevant information as they investigate international crimes in Myanmar,” the representative said.

UN Investigator Says Facebook Has Not Shared ‘Evidence’ of Myanmar Abuses

Myanmar is facing charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over a 2017 military crackdown on the Rohingya that forced 730,000 people to flee into Bangladesh.

Myanmar denies genocide and says its forces were conducting legitimate operations against militants who attacked police posts.

The UN Human Rights Council set up the IIMM in 2018 to collect evidence of international crimes in Myanmar.

Facebook Defends Track Record on Fighting Myanmar Hate Speech

UN investigators said Facebook had played a key role in spreading hate speech that fueled the violence. In 2018, the company said it had removed 18 accounts and 52 pages associated with the Myanmar military, including the page of its commander-in-chief, but preserved the data.

The head of the IIMM told Reuters this month that Facebook has not released evidence of “serious international crimes” with the body, despite vowing to cooperate.

He confirmed on Tuesday the body had received a "first data set which partially complies with our previous requests".

"I am hopeful it signifies a further step forward towards a cooperative relationship that will allow us access to important relevant evidence of serious international crimes," he told Reuters in an email.

Facebook this month blocked a bid by Gambia, which brought the genocide case against Myanmar at the ICJ, to obtain posts and communications by members of Myanmar's military and police.

Which are the best truly wireless earphones under Rs. 10,000? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.