Melbourne (Chindwin): A US judge has reportedly ordered Facebook to release records of accounts linked to the anti-Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar, reported to the Wall Street Journal.
“A federal judge ordered Facebook Inc. on Wednesday to hand over records related to accounts it shut down in 2018 that were linked to government-backed violence against the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar,” the Wall Street Journal said.
Facebook had previously refused to release the data, arguing “it would violate a US law that bars electronic communication services from disclosing users’ communication,” the newspaper said.
Criticizing Facebook for refusing to provide the records, the judge said, “allowing it to withhold them would compound the tragedy that has befallen the Rohingya,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
Using Facebook and other social media platforms, the Myanmar military government supported Buddhist nationalists who openly campaigned for anti-Muslim and the Rohingya minority in Myanmar.
The anti-Muslim movements in Myanmar have instigated hatred and violence against the Muslim minority across Myanmar and forced over a million Rohingya minority to flee homes.
Facebook had taken down several accounts used for hatred against the Muslim Rohingya minority, including the main page of the Myanmar military under its standards prohibiting the incitement of violence.
