Analysis-Rohingya lawsuit against Facebook a 'wake-up call' for social media

FILE PHOTO: Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is displayed behind a smartphone with the Facebook logo in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

BANGKOK/LOS ANGELES (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A landmark lawsuit by Rohingya refugees against Meta Platforms Inc, formerly known as Facebook, is a "wake-up call" for social media firms and a test case for courts to limit their immunity, human rights and legal experts said.

The $150 billion class-action complaint, filed in California on Monday by law firms Edelson PC and Fields PLLC, argues that Facebook's failure to police content and its platform's design contributed to violence against the Rohingya community.