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W4 Facebook
Read the Washington Post article by Will Oremus, Facebook keeps researching its own harms — and burying the findings, found here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/16/facebook-files-internal-research-harms/ (Links to an external site.)
Write an argument which answers the question: Does Facebook have an ethical responsibility to reveal information which shows the negative outcomes of its product AND does it have a moral responsibility to correct these problems?
In your answer use one of the three ethical theories discussed in chapter 3 of the textbook:
Utilitarianism
Virtue Ethics
Ethics of the Person
This assignment is not asking you to express your opinion or feelings about Facebook’s conduct. It is asking you to apply an ethical theory to determine whether Facebook’s actions were ethical. Your argument should present both your logical conclusion and your premises (reasons or support for your conclusion). Underline your conclusion.
W4 Facebook Answer
If utilitarianism is applied, then Facebook has the responsibility to reveal the negative outcomes of its product and it also have a moral responsibility to correct these problems. As an ethical theory, utilitarianism posits that an act is ethically correct if it produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. A variant of utilitarian thinking is cost-benefit analysis, which holds that a course of action should be adopted if its benefits outweigh the costs.