Facebook’s routine behavioral manipulation made its research experiment appear legally unremarkable.

Evidence

Fiske acknowledged that she had been persuaded by Facebook’s argument that the experimental manipulation was an unremarkable extension of the corporation’s standard practice of manipulating people’s news feeds. As Fiske recounted, “They said… that Facebook apparently manipulates people’s News Feeds all the time.… Who knows what other research they’re doing.” In other words, Fiske recognized that the experiment was merely an extension of Facebook’s standard practices of behavioral modification, which already flourish without sanction. — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 949

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the legal vacuum around surveillance capitalism’s everyday operations — the experiment was only controversial because it was labeled research, though identical manipulation runs daily. — connects to: Public criticism failed to halt Facebook’s behavior modification experiments — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 942; Facebook’s behavior modification operates covertly at scale with no social or legal controls — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 955; Facebook’s curated self-presentation created a misleading realm of unreality — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1013

Broader Connections

• Facebook’s behavior modification operates covertly at scale with no social or legal controls #corroborates (0.85) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 955
• Facebook’s curated self-presentation created a misleading realm of unreality #expands (0.72) — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1013