Pai Warns of Use of Internet to Persecute Religious Minorities
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai warned of the internet-driven assault on minority religious groups in various parts of the world. Pai spoke Wednesday at the State Department Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. The suffering of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar isn’t new,…
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but government there is using Facebook to add to the pain, he said. Government officials and militants have used the platform to “incite a culture of hatred against the Rohingya,” Pai said: “They used Facebook to spread false rumors of attacks. The government’s Information Committee identified more than 1,300 Rohingya Muslims as ‘terrorists’ on its official Facebook page, posting names and photos without any due process.” China is the biggest offender, he said. “To make sure people aren’t sharing religious messages online, or any other messages the government finds objectionable, China has built an army 2 million strong to police the Internet,” he said: “China employs significantly more people to violate the rights of their citizens than the United States employs to militarily defend rights like free expression and freedom of assembly.” Facebook and the Chinese Embassy didn’t comment.