Facebook bans four groups spreading violence in Myanmar
Four groups deemed to be dangerous have been removed from Facebook's platform.
Facebook announced today that it has removed four groups based in Myanmar that it has determined to be dangerous from its platform. The Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Kachin Independence Army and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army have been removed from Facebook, and the company said all "praise, support and representation" for the organizations will also be subject to removal.
Those groups are now considered to be dangerous under Facebook's policy, a label that is reserved for individuals and organizations that engage in terrorist activity, organized hate, mass or serial murder, human trafficking or organized violence. Facebook said the groups are armed and said there is "clear evidence" they have engaged in offline harm and violence in Myanmar. By removing them from Facebook, the social network company hopes to disrupt any attempts to organize acts of violence.
Facebook has been doing a considerable amount of damage control in Myanmar in recent months after reports indicated the company's platforms and tools were being used to enable an ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in the country. Facebook has pulled some of its tools from the market and has launched an internal investigation into its role in the violence. Last December, the social network announced it was banning hundreds of pages connected to the conflict.
