The article is misrepresentative. This was way back in an era where fb had slightly more open apis. Of course some people were going to exploit that and break

The article is misrepresentative. This was way back in an era where fb had slightly more open apis. Of course some people were going to exploit that and break fbs own policies. Cambridge did that and broke fbs rules. Once it became more obvious that 3rd parties would break the rules fb adjusted their policy and closed the loophole. The open nature of the policy was known to everyone on the planet including the ftc at the time. If those policies were problematic why wouldnt someone at the ftc say something? Those whose job it is to regulate just sit there and watch for a decade before doing anything? As someone mentioned above this is a systematic issue and a problem with the business model. This is not some sneaky thing fb did on the side or behind closed doors. The apis were there for the public and everyone to see the whole time. Though there wwtr a few voiced concerns there certainly was not outrage. I have several problems with fb but this specific issue is being misrepresented.