Albeit slow, late and often reactive, Facebook is taking steps to address the horrible ethnic cleansing that is taking place in Myanmar under the military regime. High ranking officers involved in the atrocities have Facebook accounts and some boastfully share their involvements on their pages! After coming under fire for non-action and playing ignorance, Facebook which has been questioned by regulators on the activities that’s taking place on its platform, is moving to monitor the postings on its social media site and addressing them.

The tech giant has confirmed removing a total of 18 Facebook accounts, one Instagram account and 52 Facebook Pages, followed by almost 12 million people involved in the Myanmar issue. However, only the accounts have been brought down but their data, including content have been preserved.

Identity of those banned include 20 individuals of the Myanmar administration with the likes of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the military’s Myawady television network. They were thought to have inflamed ethnic and religious tensions in the country.

Some of those removed were also involved in covert operation by using Facebook to push what seems as independent news to the military. Its surprising that only after UN Human Right mission that revelations are being made since even Malaysia and regional countries have cried foul over the activities in Myanmar. And Facebook being Facebook, which was used to fan and incite hatred towards the Rohingya’s, only starts doing something after thousands are murdered.

With all the billions and greatest tech minds working in their Silicon Valley offices, wonder why they have not developed algorithms to detect despicable acts on its platform and quickly act to shut them down.

Image credit: UN.org