RUBEN NAVARRETTE JR.: Is Facebook really a threat to western civilization? It’s complicated.

Free Facebook!

Not due to the fact that I deliberation the societal media behemoth — worthy astir $930 billion, according to MacroTrends — is bully for America. I’m not definite it is. But not each merchandise has to beryllium either “good for America” oregon “bad for America.”

And not due to the fact that I deliberation the institution is wholly guiltless of immoderate wrongdoing. Given what we person learned implicit the decades astir however mega-companies operate, it would not astonishment maine to larn that CEO Mark Zuckerberg and others who tally Facebook made compromises, chopped corners oregon pushed the envelope.

I emergence successful defence of Facebook due to the fact that — having heard the caller grounds of Frances Haugen, erstwhile Facebook information idiosyncratic turned whistleblower, earlier the Senate Committee connected Commerce, Science, and Transportation — it’s wide that overmuch of the indictment is unfair, overblown and hypocritical.

Portions of Haugen’s scathing onslaught connected Facebook were beauteous far-fetched. She went for broke and often came up empty.

One of Haugen’s champion lines was: “The company’s enactment knows however to marque Facebook and Instagram safer but won’t marque the indispensable changes due to the fact that they person enactment their astronomical profits earlier people.”

That’s plausible. If wealth corrupts, past however corrupting bash you accidental is Facebook’s yearly gross of $86 billion?

I besides recovered believable Haugen’s accusation that “when Facebook is straight asked questions arsenic important arsenic however bash you interaction the wellness and information of our children, they mislead and they take to mislead and misdirect.”

I screen politicians for a living. I’ve seen the acheronian broadside of quality behavior. In immoderate professions, “mislead” and “misdirect” are modular operating procedure.

Yet astatine different times during her testimony, Haugen careened disconnected the rails. Like erstwhile she accused Facebook of aiming to “deepen divides, destabilize democracies, and marque young girls and women consciousness atrocious astir their bodies.”

Facebook is dividing America? So we Americans — achromatic and Black, migrant and native, affluent and mediocre — were getting on swimmingly until Zuckerberg turned his Harvard dorm country into Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory connected the Charles River? Is that what happened?

And democracies are being destabilized from Facebook office successful Menlo Park, California? Haugen blamed the institution for unrest successful Ethiopia and Myanmar. So successful those tumultuous places, citizens are threatening to overthrow their authorities not due to the fact that they’re fed up with repressive policies but due to the fact that idiosyncratic posted thing inflammatory connected Facebook? That’s convenient for overseas governments to assertion if they privation to duck work for inspiring revolution.

And, yes, it’s existent that Facebook owns Instagram and grounds is mounting that the photo- and video-sharing tract harms girls and women by making them consciousness insecure astir their bodies. A caller survey recovered that 3 successful 10 teenage girls said that Instagram made them consciousness worse astir themselves.

I person 2 daughters (one teen and 1 preteen), and I americium reasonably definite that, if Instagram disappeared tomorrow, my girls would inactive beryllium bombarded with images that marque them consciousness atrocious astir their bodies — successful magazines, connected television, successful movies and connected the internet. It’s absurd to solely blasted Facebook.

The occupation is overmuch bigger than that.

Lastly, Haugen said the tract “personalizes your provender for you.”

The scoundrels! Imagine a institution that finds retired what customers privation and past gives it to them. Whoever heard of specified a thing? In fact, I erstwhile knew of an manufacture that didn’t bash this well. It utilized to enactment retired a merchandise called “newspapers.”

Listening to Haugen’s testimony, and the “amen” chorus connected the Senate committee, I came distant definite of 3 things:

■ It’s not Facebook’s occupation to rise our kids. That’s connected america parents.

■ The marketplace should determine the destiny of companies. If you don’t similar Facebook, don’t usage it.

■ Politicians controlling code successful bid to shingle down companies for governmental contributions is ever a atrocious idea.

Haugen thinks Facebook is similar cigarettes. I deliberation it’s similar sugary brushed drinks — not needfully bully for america but inactive not thing that the authorities should prohibition oregon interruption up.

The past happening Americans privation is authorities decimating information. The governmental parties would instrumentality turns moving roughshod implicit the public’s close to know.

This contented shouldn’t beryllium truthful difficult. Politicians instrumentality attraction of those who instrumentality attraction of them. Republicans garbage to modulate guns, and Democrats are reluctant to censor Hollywood movies.

Elected officials should workout the aforesaid restraint with Facebook and support their hands disconnected the site. If they don’t, voters should “unfriend” them successful the adjacent election.

Contact Ruben Navarrette astatine crimscribe@icloud.com. His podcast, “Ruben successful the Center,” is disposable done each podcast app.