CALIFORNIA: Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are suing Meta Platforms Inc, formerly known as Facebook, for $150 billion over allegations that the social media company did not take action against anti-Rohingya hate speech that contributed to violence.
A US class-action complaint, filed in California on Monday by law firms Edelson PC and Fields PLLC, argues that the company’s failures to police content and its platform’s design contributed to real-world violence faced by the Rohingya community. In a coordinated action, British lawyers also submitted a letter of notice to Facebook’s London office.
Facebook did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment about the lawsuit. The company has said it was “too slow to prevent misinformation and hate” in Myanmar and has said it has since taken steps to crack down on platform abuses in the region, including banning the military from Facebook and Instagram after the Feb. 1 coup.
Facebook has said it is protected from liability over content posted by users by a US Internet law known as Section 230, which holds that online platforms are not liable for content posted by third parties. The complaint says it seeks to apply Burmese law to the claims if Section 230 is raised as a defense.
Although US courts can apply foreign law to cases where the alleged harms and activity by companies took place in other countries, two legal experts interviewed by Reuters said they did not know of a successful precedent for foreign law being invoked in lawsuits against social media companies where Section 230 protections could apply.
Anupam Chander, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, said that invoking Burmese law wasn’t “inappropriate.” But he predicted that “It’s unlikely to be successful,” saying that “It would be odd for Congress to have foreclosed actions under US law but permitted them to proceed under foreign law.”
More than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August 2017 after a military crackdown that refugees said included mass killings and rape. Rights groups documented killings of civilians and burning of villages.
Myanmar authorities say they were battling an insurgency and deny carrying out systematic atrocities.
In 2018, UN human rights investigators said the use of Facebook had played a key role in spreading hate speech that fueled the violence. A Reuters investigation https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/myanmar-facebook-hate that year, cited in the US complaint, found more than 1,000 examples of posts, comments and images attacking the Rohingya and other Muslims on Facebook.
The International Criminal Court has opened a case into the accusations of crimes in the region. In September, a US federal judge ordered Facebook to release records of accounts connected to anti-Rohingya violence in Myanmar that the social media giant had shut down.
The new class-action lawsuit references claims by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who leaked a cache https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebook-whistleblower-says-transpare... of internal documents this year, that the company does not police abusive content in countries where such speech is likely to cause the most harm.
The complaint also cites recent media reports, including a Reuters report https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/information-combat-inside-fig... last month, that Myanmar’s military was using fake social media accounts to engage in what is widely referred to in the military as “information combat.”
Rohingya refugees sue Facebook for $150 billion over Myanmar violence
https://arab.news/w763q
Rohingya refugees sue Facebook for $150 billion over Myanmar violence
- Facebook has said it is protected from liability over content posted by users by a US Internet law known as Section 230, which holds that online platforms are not liable for content posted by third parties
SRMG launches G.O.A.T, AI-powered sports platform for data-driven fans
- The launch comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is increasingly at the center of global sport
- The app complements live broadcasts by keeping fans connected before, during, and after the game
RIYADH: The Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) on Tuesday announced the launch of G.O.A.T, a new sports app designed to deliver fast, credible, and curated coverage in one destination. Built for a mobile-first generation, G.O.A.T is designed for a sports landscape evolving at unprecedented speed.
The launch of G.O.A.T comes at a time when Saudi Arabia, and the region more broadly, are increasingly at the center of global sport. Saudi football in particular has been undergoing rapid transformation, emerging as one of the fastest-growing and most closely followed leagues in the world.
“As fan behavior evolves alongside this growth, audiences are no longer looking only for headlines, but for trusted context, real-time access, and platforms that reflect how sport is experienced today,” the group said in a statement.
Created to meet these expectations, G.O.A.T is an audience-first, data-driven app built for the AI age. It brings together real-time updates, breaking news, video highlights, and match insights in a simple, always-on experience designed around fan behavior and matchday flow.
The app complements live broadcasts by keeping fans connected before, during, and after the game, from instant goal alerts to key stories, highlights, and the conversations shaping matchday momentum across screens and platforms.
The launch marks the first phase of G.O.A.T’s rollout, initially focusing on football and the Saudi Pro League, alongside coverage of the world’s most prominent competitions. In its early release, the app serves as a leading destination for up-to-the-minute Saudi football news, grounded in SRMG’s editorial standards and designed to cut through misinformation and noise that increasingly dominate sports coverage.
In its initial release, G.O.A.T curates content from SRMG’s most trusted brands, including Arriyadiah, Asharq Al Awsat, Asharq Sports, and Sport 24, giving fans access to reporting, analysis, and match coverage from the region’s most established newsrooms through one unified product experience.
As the platform evolves, G.O.A.T is expected to unlock new monetization opportunities aligned with fan behavior and premium engagement. These include intelligent sponsorship integrations, data-driven brand partnerships, and premium experiences built around key moments and competitions. Designed as a scalable product platform, G.O.A.T enables brands, leagues, and partners to connect with highly engaged sports audiences through context-rich formats that enhance rather than disrupt the fan experience.
The launch of G.O.A.T also marks another step in SRMG’s expansion across the sports media ecosystem, following the group’s acquisition of exclusive rights to broadcast the Saudi Pro League across the Middle East and North Africa through Thmanyah.
Alaa Shahine Salha, Content Development Managing Director at SRMG, said: “G.O.A.T was built around a simple idea. Sports fans need speed, depth, and credibility in one place. This first phase establishes a strong editorial and community foundation. What comes next will expand how fans interact with content, match moments, and each other, powered by a smarter, data-led experience.”
SRMG said it will continue to evolve G.O.A.T through interactive and community-driven features that deepen participation and bring fans closer to the action, while maintaining a clear commitment to credibility and responsible reporting.
G.O.A.T is now available to download on iOS and Android.
