U.S.-based Muslim advocacy group sues Facebook over claims it removes hate speech

FILE PHOTO: A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Civil rights group Muslim Advocates sued Facebook Inc and its top executives on Thursday, alleging they misled the U.S. Congress and others by falsely claiming the company removes content that violates its policies.

The lawsuit claims that Facebook routinely failed to remove content that violated its rules, including anti-Muslim groups and pages flagged by rights organizations and experts. The filing said this included pages and groups with names that compared Muslims to "filth" and contained calls to "unite against," "purge" or "wipe out" Islam.