The article discusses how hate speech and misinformation spread on Facebook contributed to real-world violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar starting in 2012. Activists had warned Facebook for years about this issue but the company was slow to act. Anti-Rohingya rhetoric intensified on Facebook after incidents like the murder of a Buddhist woman, with posts calling Rohingya “subhuman” and “terrorists.” Influential Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu used Facebook to spread his anti-Muslim messages. Despite continued warnings from NGOs about posts inciting violence, Facebook did not take strong enough action until years later. The piece examines Facebook’s role in the deterioration of the situation and eventual genocide against the Rohingya population in Myanmar.

It highlights how slow and inadequate responses by the platform allowed hate speech to proliferate and likely contributed to deadly attacks.