How Did Facebook Fuel the Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar?

TL;DR

Facebook's engagement-driven algorithm amplified hate speech, conspiracies, and incitement against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority, helping fuel the 2017 ethnic cleansing that killed thousands and drove over 700,000 people into Bangladesh's Kutupalong refugee camp. As Myanmar rapidly came online, Facebook effectively became the country's news source, letting extremists reach hundreds of thousands.

Transcript

• [Johnny] This is Kutupalong, the largest refugee camp in the world. There's nearly a million people here. It's located here at the southern tip of Bangladesh near a place called Cox's Bazaar. The people here are mostly Rohingya Muslims a people who now have no country. That's because in 2017, the military and citizens in their homeland, Myanmar f... Read More

Key Insights

• Kutupalong in southern Bangladesh, near Cox's Bazaar, is described as the world's largest refugee camp, holding nearly a million people, most of them stateless Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar's 2017 ethnic cleansing.
• Myanmar's Rohingya were systematically stripped of rights over decades, and an 1980s law declared they were not Burmese citizens, leaving them marginalized under the Buddhist-majority military dictatorship.
• Myanmar's internet adoption exploded from roughly 0.5% to 40% after the country opened up around 2010, with cell phone penetration jumping from nearly zero in 2006 to about 90% by 2016.
• Facebook made deals with local phone providers so smartphones came preloaded with its app and could browse Facebook free without using expensive mobile data, making Facebook effectively the internet for most people in Myanmar.
• By 2016, about 38% of Myanmar's population said they primarily got their news from Facebook, a far larger share than any single US news source, according to journalist Max Fisher.
• Facebook's algorithm, designed to maximize engagement and outrage so a California company could sell ads, quickly learned to promote hatred of the country's Muslim minority.
• Ashin Wirathu, a Buddhist monk who led the extremist 969 movement and called himself the Burmese Bin Laden, shifted from paper pamphlets to Facebook after early release in 2012, massively amplifying anti-Rohingya messages.
• The 2012 outbreak of violence killed an officially reported 192 people, destroyed 8,600 homes, and forced 140,000 Rohingya from their homes, establishing a pattern of online rumors escalating into real-world violence.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Facebook contribute to the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar?

Facebook's algorithm, designed to serve outrage-inducing content that keeps users engaged so the company can sell ads, quickly learned to promote hatred of Myanmar's Muslim minority. Because roughly 38% of the population got their news primarily from Facebook, hate speech, conspiracies, and incitements to violence against the Rohingya overran the platform. Rumors spread there repeatedly escalated into real-world violence, helping fuel the 2017 ethnic cleansing.

Q: Who are the Rohingya and why did they flee Myanmar?

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in Myanmar who now effectively have no country. Under decades of military dictatorship led by the Buddhist majority, they were stripped of rights, barred from moving freely, and declared non-citizens by a 1980s law. In 2017 the military and citizens forced them out in a brutal ethnic cleansing that left thousands dead and homes burned, driving over 700,000 into Bangladesh.

Q: Why did Facebook become so dominant in Myanmar so quickly?

As Myanmar opened up after 2010, cell phones and internet spread at breakneck speed, with adoption jumping from about 0.5% to 40%. Facebook, a venture-backed US company chasing 50 million new users, made deals with local phone providers so smartphones came preloaded with the app, and users could browse it free without spending expensive mobile data. For most people, Facebook effectively became the internet and the news.

Q: Who is Ashin Wirathu and what role did he play?

Ashin Wirathu is a Buddhist monk who led the extremist 969 movement, spreading conspiracy theories that the Rohingya were invading and planning to destroy the Burmese people. He called himself the Burmese Bin Laden. Originally he used paper pamphlets and leaflets, and in 2003 was sentenced to 25 years in prison for hate speech. Released early in 2012, he found a powerful new tool in Facebook to amplify his anti-Rohingya messages.

Q: What happened in the 2012 outbreak of violence?

In 2012, the first massive outbreak of this era saw a state of emergency declared in western Burma as ordinary Burmese citizens raided and burned Rohingya villages. Security forces stepped in not to stop the violence but to aid the destruction, even preventing Rohingya from putting out fires. The government officially reported 192 killed and 8,600 homes destroyed, and 140,000 Rohingya were forced to leave, though experts say the true numbers are likely higher.

Q: How did online rumors turn into real-world violence?

A troubling pattern emerged: an alleged crime by a Rohingya person, such as the reported assault and murder of a Burmese woman, would spread like wildfire on Facebook. As it spread, the story mutated into conspiracies that the Rohingya were stockpiling weapons or were foreign invaders planning a takeover. Anti-Rohingya voices with large followings amplified these claims, and the conflict moved from social media to the doorsteps of Rohingya people, sparking raids and burnings.

Q: What did Max Fisher's reporting reveal about Facebook's algorithm?

Max Fisher, a journalist and former Vox colleague who wrote the book The Chaos Machine, explained that Facebook's algorithm in Myanmar quickly learned to promote hatred of the Muslim minority because that content drove engagement. He noted that about 38% of the country got news primarily from Facebook by 2016, a far larger share than any single US news source, giving the platform enormous influence over public perception and radicalization.

Q: Why is this video a fundraiser and who does it support?

The video is a fundraiser to lighten the burden of the Rohingya refugees living in Kutupalong, described as the world's largest refugee camp with nearly a million people near Cox's Bazaar in southern Bangladesh. According to the description, UNICEF has worked with the Bangladesh government and partners since the crisis began to deliver relief to Rohingya children and families in the camps, and viewer donations help continue that support.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Rohingya Muslims, now largely stateless, were forced out of Myanmar in a brutal 2017 ethnic cleansing by the military and citizens that left thousands dead and villages burned, driving over 700,000 people into Bangladesh's Kutupalong refugee camp.

• After decades as an isolated military dictatorship, Myanmar opened up around 2010, and cell phones and internet flooded in. Facebook, seeking 50 million new users, preloaded its app on phones and offered free access, becoming the dominant news source.

• Facebook's engagement-maximizing algorithm amplified hate speech and conspiracies from extremists like monk Ashin Wirathu, and rumors of Rohingya crimes repeatedly spread online before erupting into real-world massacres, contributing to what many call genocide.