"A monopolistic juggernaut that is out of control". That is how lawyer Jason McCue described Facebook as he launched a bid to sue the company for $150bn.

Four firms in the UK and the USA are taking action on behalf of Rohingya Muslims who claim the social media platform played a role in stoking a genocide against their people in MyanmarThe largest country in mainland south-east Asia, formerly known as Burma. It is an ethnically diverse place, something that has often resulted in fierce conflict.. They accuse Facebook of being "willing to trade the lives of the Rohingya people for better market penetration in a small country in south-east Asia".

This refers to Free Basics, which is designed to spread Facebook services quickly through untapped markets. Under Free Basics, people who sign up for Facebook can get free internet. This initiative made the company so dominant in Myanmar that people started using the word "Facebook" interchangeably with "internet".

Free Basics users' internet use is curated by Facebook, which ensures its services remain dominant. The result: millions who had never had internet before suddenly start using Facebook for everything. Some critics have called this "digitalInvolving the use of computers. colonialismThis refers not only to the material realities of colonial rule, but also to the mindset of the colonising powers and their ways of justifying empire. Most Europeans believed that empire was a moral good, because it imparted 'civilisation' to 'primitive' cultures and so helped them to develop.". 

In Myanmar it caused problems. Facebook's algorithms are designed to show people more of what they are interested in, which tends to entrench our opinions and draw us into rabbit holesA metaphor used to describe someone getting themselves lost in a fantasy world. The term comes from the Lewis Carroll book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.. 

In countries like Myanmar where digital literacyThe ability to use IT effectively to find, evaluate and communicate information. is low, social media users have difficulty identifying conspiracy theories. So when posts inciting hatred against Rohingya started spreading, many people believed them. 

Facebook admitted that it had not done enough to stop the spread of hate speech against the Rohingya. Now its legal challengers want it to pay reparations.

Some think it proves Meta needs to be broken up.

Meta owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, and it reaches 3.6 billion users every month. This allows it to harvest extraordinary amounts of data. For some, this makes Meta a monopoly. They think it is too much power for one company.

Others think the company can do good. Free Basics might serve Meta's interests, but the people of Myanmar have also benefited. By offering free internet, Facebook has connected millions who might not have been able to afford it.

And that can be put to good use. Under the country's former military dictatorshipMyanmar was ruled by a military junta until 2011, and it maintained substantial control of the country until 2015, when it was defeated by the National League for Democracy in an election., internet use was controlled. For many, Facebook was the only independent source of information.

After the coupWhen an individual or group takes control of government by illegal means, including by violence. this year, Facebook became a key tool for organising protests against the junta that seized control.

Yes. Meta's business model is dependent on expansion. That means it will keep pushing its services in markets where people do not have digital literacy. Meta cannot be trusted to act responsibly.

No. The problem is not the platform, but the way it is used. Meta has brought the advantages of internet to millions: wealthy westerners do not have the right to withdraw it.