Evidence of the spike emerged after Facebook was accused of playing a key role in the spread of hate speech in Myanmar at a time when 650,000 Rohingya refugees were forced to flee to Bangladesh following persecution, reports the Guardian.

Digital researcher and analyst Raymond Serrato examined about 15,000 Facebook posts from supporters of the hardline nationalist Ma Ba Tha group.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.79%

AAP 42.62%

INC 24.59%

Submit

View All In Poll

The earliest posts dated from June 2016 and spiked on August 24 and 27, 2017, when ARSA Rohingya militants attacked government forces, prompting the security forces to launch the "clearance operation" that sent thousands of Rohingya pouring over the border.

Serrato's analysis showed that activity within the anti-Rohingya group, which has 55,000 members, exploded with posts registering a 200 per cent increase in interactions.

"Facebook definitely helped certain elements of society to determine the narrative of the conflict in Myanmar," Serrato told the Guardian.

"Although Facebook had been used in the past to spread hate speech and misinformation, it took on greater potency after the attacks."

The development comes as Facebook is currently facing the heat over the leak of personal and other data of some 50 million users to political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Among Myanmar's 53 million residents, less than 1 per cent had internet access in 2014.

By 2016, the country appeared to have more Facebook users than any other south Asian country.

Now, more than 14 million of its citizens use Facebook.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever