Freedom of expression campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed a lawsuit against Facebook in France claiming it is failing to provide the “safe” online environment it promises, both for journalists and the wider public.

RSF’s lawsuit accuses Facebook of “deceptive commercial practices” and claims its pledges to users are “largely mendacious” because of the disinformation and hate speech it allows to circulate.

The case has been filed in France, where Facebook has 38m users – including 24m daily users – but RSF said a ruling “has the potential for a global impact” because the platform’s terms of service are the same around the world. The lawsuit also concerns Facebook Ireland, and RSF said it may file more lawsuits in other countries.