Facebook launches fund for human rights defenders facing threat

Facebook said the fund, the size of which was not disclosed, will provide offline aid to the defenders


Reuters March 17, 2021
PHOTO: REUTERS

WASHINGTON:

Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it was launching a corporate human rights policy and a fund aimed at supporting human rights defenders facing online threats.

Facebook said the fund, the size of which was not disclosed, will provide offline aid to the defenders facing critical threats, and support new digital security efforts beginning in Asia later this year.

Facebook to invest $1 billion in news industry after Australia row 

It also said it will report its most critical human rights issues, like risks to freedom of expression, to its board of directors and release a yearly report on its steps to address those issues.

Earlier, Facebook pledged to invest at least $1 billion in the news industry over the next three years, days after a high-profile stand-off with the Australian government over paying news outlets for content. 

The social network’s commitment to the news industry follows Google’s $1 billion investment last year, as technology giants come under scrutiny over their business model as well as the proliferation of misinformation on their platform. 

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