Fake News on Facebook Helped Fuel migrant crisis on the border of Belarus and Poland.

Social media has aggravated the migrant crisis on the border of Belarus and Poland. According to Monika Richter, head of research and analysis for Semantic Visions,  activity on Facebook in Arabic and Kurdish related to migration to the E.U. through Belarus has been escalating since July. The latest report by Semantic Visions, an intelligence firm that tracked social media activity related to the crisis, found that Facebook is the leading social media platform for public information-sharing about the Belarus-EU migration route, including smuggling. Facebook, currently known as Meta after a corporate name change, claimed that they have banned material that promotes human smuggling and has dedicated teams to monitor and detect material related to this crisis. The company also said that they are working with law enforcement agencies and nongovernmental organisations to counter fake news relating to migration. Nevertheless, Jeroen Lenaers, member of the European Parliament who is a leader on the legislature’s committee that handles migration issues, stressed that Facebook is not taking their responsibility seriously.