The article critiques social media giants like Meta and TikTok, arguing they misuse free speech as an excuse for spreading misinformation, which results in significant societal damage. Examples include events like the Rohingya genocide incited by Facebook and harmful health myths propagated on TikTok. While Europe takes measures to hold these platforms accountable for misinformation, U.S. initiatives have stalled. The article compares these social media practices to the tobacco industry's past strategies of denial and obstruction, highlighting the dangers of relying on social media for news amidst rampant misinformation.
The undeniable reality is that these media empires profiteer hugely from division and fear, and falsehoods propagated across social media cause immense harm.
The industry’s now familiar attempts to deny responsibility for the harms of immensely lucrative products follow a familiar, deeply instructive playbook: the tobacco industry’s strategy of obstruction.
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