The Tobacco Testimony of Social Media

On April 14, 1994, the CEOs of the seven largest American tobacco companies stood before a congressional subcommittee, raised their right hands, and swore under oath that nicotine was not addictive.

Every one of them.

One by one.

Under oath.

While their own internal research, conducted by their own scientists, funded by their own money, said the opposite.

They knew.

They had known for decades.

They chose to lie because the truth would destroy their business model.

I want you to hold that image in your mind while I tell you what Reuters reported last year: Meta internally projected that approximately 10 percent of its annual revenue — roughly $15 billion — comes from running ads for scams and banned goods.

Meta's response when confronted with this number was that the figure was "rough and overly-inclusive" and that the true number was "much lower." They did not provide the true…