firebender6
A majority of Facebook user's aren't'techies'. It was Facebook's responsibility to make such features available/easy to access in the first place. It shouldn't have to be a legal requirement. Google/Twitter doing or not doing it doesn't have anything to do with it.
I remember a client who approached us a few years ago to develop software to surveil his employees in departmental store (containing no particularly special commodity). To track his employees 24-7. We refused to take up the project. I can't believe we are on the way to implement to the same idea at this large a scale!
No matter what the short term benefits are, I believe the long term effects are going to be very very unpleasant. Orwell's world doesn't seem too far off.
Facebook Surrenders Russian-Linked Influence Ads to Congress
Learning to Learn: You, Too, Can Rewire Your Brain
In tech industry (where I work), the current work culture has made sustaining a friends circle (support system) outside of work really hard; even more so when they live in different cities.
I personally see co-workers & friends who struggle to cope with stress at work, staying away from home/family/trying to sustain a relationship. The sad part is that it rarely gets spoken about. In our case time not invested in relationships during 20's (when one is also building his/her career) is a major reason for loneliness as people get older. Nothing that we have done so far has equipped us to handle it. An over-competitive job market only makes things worse. Prioritizing family/friends often gets interpreted as not being motivated/hardworking enough and has huge penalties (direct and indirect) associated with it.
I really hope corporates begin to see the importance of healthy & happy workers not just on book, but in practice as well.