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Jack Dorsey admits ‘I need to learn more about human rights in Burma’

The Twitter boss was accused of overlooking alleged human rights abuses in the country in a series of posts.
The Twitter boss was accused of overlooking alleged human rights abuses in the country in a series of posts. The Twitter boss was accused of overlooking alleged human rights abuses in the country in a series of posts.

Twitter boss Jack Dorsey says he did not “intend to diminish” the human rights situation in Burma as he addressed tweets in which he promoted the country as a tourist destination.

The social media chief had received a wave of criticism after posting about a personal meditation trip to Burma last month, but did not mention widely reported allegations of violence against the Muslim Rohingya minority in the country, with a UN report suggesting thousands of people have been killed.

Mr Dorsey has offered “more colour” on his visit and subsequent posts.

“I’m aware of the human rights atrocities and suffering in Myanmar. I don’t view visiting, practicing, or talking with the people, as endorsement,” he said.

“I didn’t intend to diminish by not raising the issue, but could have acknowledged that I don’t know enough and need to learn more.

“This was a purely personal trip for me focused on only one dimension: meditation practice. That said, I know people are asking about what Twitter is doing around the situation, so I’ll share our current state.

“Twitter is a way for people to share news and information about events in Myanmar as well as to bear witness to the plight of the Rohingya and other peoples and communities. We’re actively working to address emerging issues. This includes violent extremism and hateful conduct.

“We know we can’t do this alone, and continue to welcome conversation with and help from civil society and NGOs within the region. I had no conversations with the government or NGOs during my trip. We’re always open to feedback on how to best improve.”

He added that he would continue to follow the conversation on his Twitter feed and share anything he learns.

Social media platforms have been accused of failing to prevent the spread of hateful content online that apparently incited violence in Burma.

Last month, Facebook said it agreed with an independent report that found it had failed to stop its platform from being “abused” to “incite offline violence”.