Jamelle Bouie’s opinion piece printed in The New York Times: Facebook Has Been a Disaster for the World is a terrific piece, however I think that it was preaching to the choir for me. The subtitle of the article is more direct and reads:

How much longer are we going to allow its platform to foment hatred and undermine democracy?

The opinion piece begins with pointing out Facebook’s complicity with genocide in Myanmar in the past and now Ethiopia. Closer to home, Bouie points out Facebook’s abject refusal to take any meaningful action to address political parties, or governments, that utilize the platform to spread misinformation.

The article does a terrific job of summarizing many of Facebook’s sins against democracy in the United States and abroad, which are the most critical and dangerous parts of the platform.

On a mores specific and personal area of complaint, Max Daly writing for VICE World News: Facebook Spread the Myth That Touching Fentanyl Makes You Overdose, Study Finds. There is an Ohio police officer that has been making money going around to other police departments “training” them about the fictional dangers of touching fentanyl.

Facebook continually refuses to police its own platform, as indiciary topics drive engagement, and engagement generates data for marketing which makes its shareholders rich. The money that it generates for the wealthy is more important than the damages that the platform permits to occur on those who are not.