'It's time for significant changes': civil rights groups call for Facebook leaders to step down

Company says it is 'committed' to strengthening and advancing civil rights on service after groups demand restructuring of board

Dozens of civil rights groups are calling for Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg to step down from Facebook's board of directors following what they described as years of the company's role in "generating bigotry and hatred towards vulnerable communities".

In a letter sent to Zuckerberg, the company's CEO, on Monday night, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Muslim Advocates, Equality Labs and MoveOn.org were among more than 30 groups demanding a restructuring of the board to improve accountability of senior leadership in the wake of recent scandals.