Facebook apologizes for role in Sri Lankan anti-Muslim riots

The Facebook Administration has Apologized For the Anti-Muslim Riots in Sri Lanka Two Years Ago As a Result of Its Platform Spreading Hate Speech and Rumors Against Muslims.

According to a report by the French news agency AFP, riots broke out in Sri Lanka in early 2018 after anti-Muslim hatred and anger erupted on social media, prompting the Sri Lankan government to declare a state of emergency in the country. Facebook access was also blocked.

Facebook later investigated the matter, which revealed the role of the platform in rioting over the promotion of provocative content through Facebook.

The Facebook administration said in a statement following the investigation report on Tuesday that it regrets the misuse of its platform, and acknowledges and apologizes for the impact it has had on human rights.

In 2018, mosques and the property of Muslim merchants were set on fire, especially in the central part of the Sinhalese Buddhist-majority country of Sri Lanka, killing three people and injuring 20 others.

The investigation was conducted with the help of Article One, a human rights consultancy, which said that hate speech and rumors would lead to riots in the country.

The consulting firm also said that before the riots began, the Facebook administration failed to remove such hateful content from its platform, leaving hate speech and other forms of harassment not only in place but also in its place. The effects continued to spread.

Article One said that in 2018, rioters used Facebook to organize attacks and that Facebook had only two people who could read content uploaded in Sinhala. Sinhalese is the language of the majority of Sri Lankans and elements belonging to it were behind the riots.

According to a report, the daily number of Facebook users in Sri Lanka is 4.4 million.

The Facebook administration says it is cutting back on frequent reshared content in Sri Lanka that is often based on click-throughs and misinformation.

The administration said it had hired more people, including Sinhalese speakers, and introduced observation technology to protect the vulnerable and vulnerable.