Facebook not the only one that needs examination, regulation

OVER the past several months, there has been an onslaught of alarming news about Facebook's collection and sharing of users' personal data. The resulting public scrutiny of Facebook is well-deserved. But as we scramble to understand the societal harms caused by one Silicon Valley behemoth, we mustn't turn a blind eye to those instigated by the rest of the technology industry.

Facebook is deservedly the most visible public target right now. In March, whistleblower Christopher Wylie revealed that the British political advisory firm Cambridge Analytica had illegitimately gained access to more than 50 million people's Facebook data through the efforts of a foreign academic, Aleksandr Kogan. The next month, it was reported that the real number was 87 million.

Weeks later, Facebook confirmed that it had entered into many more data partnerships with questionable applications, around 200 of which the company suspended. And last month, it came to light that Facebook has had long-standing data-sharing arrangements with no fewer than 60 manufacturers of device technology, partnerships about which political leaders have expressed deep reservations.