12.7 Technology Worldwide

We’ll finish this section with a final issue: the use of American-made and operated technology in other countries. The following case study looks specifically at social media companies, such as Facebook, and how the company’s communication technology ends up impacting life outside the United States.

This case will be the last of this chapter. It shows how the ethical issues arising from globalization bring together many threads we have discussed in this book so far. In fact, in some ways, global business operations involve the greatest kind of ethical test: when the normal legal and regulatory authorities aren’t looking, what will we do?

By 2022, Facebook had become the de facto internet for many Filipinos, thanks to its Free Basics program, which provided free access to Facebook on mobile devices. With over 81% of the population on Facebook and COVID-19 restrictions limiting traditional campaign events, political candidates increasingly relied on social media to reach voters. While Facebook provided a platform for political engagement, it also became a breeding ground for disinformation, misinformation, and manipulative political tactics.1

The platform’s dominance in the Philippine media landscape allowed political actors to weaponize its algorithms. Candidates and their supporters deployed troll armies and misinformation campaigns to sway public opinion. These tactics distorted historical narratives, promoted polarizing political agendas, and undermined democratic discourse. For instance, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s campaign spread misleading content portraying his father’s authoritarian rule as a “golden age,” while Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 tactics of troll-driven intimidation and disinformation were replicated and modernized.

Despite Facebook’s efforts to curb the spread of disinformation through fact-checking partnerships and account suspensions, critics, including Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, argued that these measures were insufficient to address the systemic problems inherent in Facebook’s operations.

Facebook’s algorithms prioritized engaging content, amplifying disinformation and polarizing narratives while factual corrections struggled to gain similar traction. In addition, the Free Basics initiative, intended to provide internet access to underserved populations, inadvertently limited access to diverse information. Filipinos relying on Free Basics could not access external links, leading to reliance on headlines or snippets that lacked context.

Troll armies and disinformation campaigns undermined informed decision-making and manipulated voter perceptions, threatening the integrity of democratic elections. In some cases, it seems as though Facebook’s business model, driven by engagement metrics and advertising revenue, conflicted with its ethical responsibility to promote accurate information and prevent harm.

Facebook’s rise in the country coincided with the decline of traditional media outlets, further concentrating information control within a single platform and diminishing editorial oversight.

What ethical responsibilities does Facebook have when its platform becomes the primary source of information in a country?
What steps should Facebook take to combat disinformation while respecting free speech?
How can platforms ensure fact-checking initiatives are effective and widely seen?
Was Facebook’s Free Basics program ethically sound, considering its unintended consequences? How could the program be modified to provide equitable access to diverse and reliable information?
How can regulators address the ethical issues posed by online manipulation during elections?
Should there be international standards for social media platforms to prevent misuse during political campaigns?

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