As coronavirus infections surged in Malaysia this year, a wave of hate speech and misinformation aimed at Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar began appearing on Facebook, with the Rohingya being accused of spreading the coronavirus.
Reuters found more than three dozen pages and groups, including accounts run by former and serving Malaysian security officials, that featured discriminatory language about Rohingya refugees and undocumented migrants.
Facebook removed 12 of the 36 pages and groups flagged by Reuters, and several posts. Five other pages with anti-migrant content seen by Reuters in the last month were removed before Reuters queries. Malaysian government departments, including the office of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, did not respond to Reuters queries and requests for comment.
Separately, Facebook Inc will start banning ads that explicitly discourage people from getting vaccinated, the world’s largest social media company said on Tuesday, as it also announced a new flu vaccine information campaign.
Reuters