Today, the crisis in Myanmar stands out as a case study of groups harnessing social media to incite violence and of the failure of social media platforms to take action. What role did online hate speech and misinformation play in the resurgence of oppression and human rights violations? What are the lessons learned from this crisis for all stakeholders (Big Tech, states, civil society) to prevent this from happening again?

The third session of the “Decoding Hate Speech” series will focus on the weaponization of social media in Myanmar and address whether this case marks a turning point in Big Tech’s realization that they must consider the human rights impact of their platforms.

Senator Marilou McPhedran

Grant Shubin, Legal Director of the Global Justice Center

Myat Thu, Independent expert and Research Advisor at Myanmar Tech Accountability

Kyle Matthews, Executive Director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS)