Facebook and the Republicans — Give Conflict a Chance

[Commentary] The recent flare-up between Facebook and conservatives will likely soon be forgotten. Facebook handled it brilliantly, comforting its critics through an open dialogue. Still, I wish Facebook had responded to inquiries from conservatives and government officials like Sen John Thune (R-SD), with the words Donald Trump used about the disclosure of his tax forms: “none of your damn business.” I concede that answer would have created a short-term PR nightmare. But in three ways it would have improved the groundwork for our country’s inevitable debate on the government’s role in regulating the political implications of large databases.

[Blair Levin is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institute Metropolitan Policy Project.]