[ti:Rohingya Refugees Sue Facebook over Myanmar Violence] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Rohingya refugees from Myanmar [00:03.96]are taking legal action against Facebook's parent company. [00:09.80]Their lawsuit accuses the company [00:13.84]of failing to stop hate speech that led to violence. [00:20.36]The refugees are seeking $150 million in the class-action lawsuit. [00:29.08]A U.S.-based legal team filed the case Monday in California. [00:36.88]The case argues that Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms, [00:43.52]should be held responsible for not doing enough [00:47.64]to stop hateful posts on the social media service. [00:54.12]The lawsuit states that hate speech that was permitted on Facebook [01:00.40]incited violence against the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group [01:06.12]by Myanmar's military and its supporters. [01:11.24]The case is based on the combined legal claims of Rohingya refugees. [01:19.24]It seeks to cover anyone worldwide who survived the violence [01:25.48]or had a family member who died from it. [01:29.56]Lawyers in Britain say they plan to bring a similar lawsuit there. [01:37.00]Facebook, which recently changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms, [01:44.00]did not immediately answer requests for comment. [01:48.72]In the past, the company has admitted [01:52.76]that it was "too slow to prevent misinformation and hate" in Myanmar. [02:00.84]Facebook said it has since taken steps [02:04.24]to reduce the spread of such content. [02:08.88]Members of the Rohingya ethnic group [02:12.60]were forced to flee violence and persecution [02:16.76]in Myanmar starting in 2017. [02:21.36]They began leaving Rakhine state after Rohingya militants [02:27.68]launched attacks against security forces. [02:32.76]The attacks led to government military action [02:37.08]against suspected militants and their supporters. [02:42.72]The United Nations has described the Myanmar military operation [02:48.56]as a well-organized example of ethnic cleansing. [02:53.60]Myanmar officials have denied the military [02:58.44]carried out human rights abuses. [03:01.76]It said the campaign was necessary [03:05.64]to defend against attacks by Rohingya militants. [03:11.72]Currently, an estimated 1 million Rohingya [03:16.24]are living in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. [03:21.56]About 10,000 refugees have come to the United States. [03:27.80]United Nations human rights experts [03:31.20]investigated the attacks against the Rohingya. [03:35.88]In 2018, they said Facebook had [03:40.28]played a part in spreading hate speech. [03:44.36]Lawyers organizing the case say more than 10,000 Rohingya [03:50.20]were killed and more than 150,000 [03:54.96]were subjected to physical violence. [03:59.60]The lawsuit argues that Facebook's algorithms [04:04.12]helped spread hate speech against the Rohingya people. [04:09.56]It says Facebook did not employ enough workers [04:13.84]to moderate online material and block false information. [04:20.80]The lawsuit also states that Facebook failed to close accounts [04:27.00]and block posts that incited violence [04:30.96]or used hate speech directed at the ethnic group. [04:36.68]Facebook has said it is protected from liability [04:41.56]over material posted by users under a U.S. internet law [04:47.56]known as Section 230. [04:51.80]The law states that online publishers are not liable, [04:57.24]or legally responsible, for content posted by third parties. [05:04.48]The new lawsuit seeks to use Myanmar law [05:08.92]in relation to the claims if Section 230 is raised as a defense. [05:17.00]U.S. courts can use foreign law in cases [05:21.68]where the activity of companies caused harms in other countries. [05:27.04]But two legal experts told Reuters [05:31.52]they had not heard of a successful case [05:34.96]of foreign law being used in lawsuits [05:38.48]against social media companies [05:41.24]that were linked to Section 230 protections. [05:46.60]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM