Big Tech Borrows from Big Tobacco

In the 1960s, Big Tobacco funded health research on a grand scale, cherry-picking from the results, suppressing unhelpful findings and promoting those who raised doubts about the link between tobacco and illness. Stephen Maher writes that Meta is echoing two tactics that the tobacco industry used successfully for decades to push back against would-be regulators.

As data breaches of government websites and attacks on our online infrastructure become increasingly common, it is wishful thinking that Canada’s paid civil servants can do the work of keeping us safe all by themselves. Private individuals and entities have so much to contribute in this area. Matt Malone argues that rather than take their expertise for granted — or worse, punish them for it — we should honour them for their contributions.

In the world of cryptocurrency, where hipster techno-geeks predominate, J. Christopher Giancarlo — a Vanderbilt University Law School graduate and a Republican who chaired the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission during the Trump administration — stands out for his adult demeanour and establishment background. His new book will undoubtedly carry weight in the policy debate over the intersection of finance and technology, but readers should beware, writes Paul Blustein.