Facebook isn’t Big Tobacco — in some ways it’s worse
The Wall Street Journal reported through its investigative series, the Facebook Files, that Facebook knew — to a sophisticated degree — how addictive its apps are and the harmful effects they have on teens and society, but chose to bury those findings from the public.
WSJ analyzed Facebook’s internal research, documents, online employee discussions and draft presentations to senior management and concluded: “Facebook Inc. knows, in acute detail, that its platforms are riddled with flaws that cause harm, often in ways only the company fully understands.”
Facebook owns Instagram, and its researchers knew about the addictiveness and toxic harm its photo sharing app has on millions of users and their mental health, notably, teens and girls.
Despite requests from governments, U.S. Congress, and academics, this Facebook research hasn’t been released to the public.
WSJ also found that Facebook’s high-profile users were shielded from the company’s standards that apply to the rest of us as they posted content that constituted harassment or helped incite violence, since it increased views and advertising dollars.
By possessing — and ultimately concealing — its extensive internal research and knowledge of the harm of its apps, Facebook has been compared as the “new” Big Tobacco by the WSJ and others.
The comparison of Facebook with Big Tobacco seems to end there, if we are honest about the current free reign that Facebook and other Big Tech companies have to do harm.
Unlike Big Tobacco, Facebook does not suffer from extensive regulation and oversight, despite its wide-ranging social, political and monetary impact and its duopoly with Google on advertising revenue in Canada and the U.S.
Facebook and other Big Tech have instead helped destabilize countries and spread civil unrest, while undermining truth and forcing legitimate news organizations to close while profiting off their content.
The spread of misinformation, including against vaccines in the fight against COVID-19, through Facebook has been to the detriment of communities, lives, and health systems everywhere.
Unlike Facebook, Big Tobacco faces extensive regulatory scrutiny and several laws curbing its behaviour, including stringent labelling and advertising restrictions to dissuade teens and others from starting up a life-threatening, cancercausing habit.
If a labelling law was imposed on
Facebook and social media sites, it would justifiably advise users that there is scientific research (from Facebook itself no less) about the harm from the use of its apps, including potential age limits.
Similarly, Big Tobacco has advertising prohibitions and Health Canada actively engages in surveillance and science, offering educational programs to inform the public of health risks from smoking and ways to stop.
Prior to dissolution, the Canadian government was on the verge of regulating Facebook (and Big Tech). Now caught red-handed by the WSJ, it’s more important than ever that Facebook gets the laws and regulations it finally deserves. Daniel Tsai teaches law, technology, culture and journalism at the University of Toronto, marketplace law at Ryerson University, and is a former senior policy adviser for the federal government. Twitter: @dtsailawyermba