Comment by Frost1x

I always find the dichotomy we have regarding human subject experimentation interesting in the US. We essentially have two ecosystems of human subjects as to what is allowed and isn't: public and privately funded. The contrast is a bit stark.

We have public funded rules (typically derived or pressured by availability of federal or state monies/resources) which are quite strict, have ethics and IRB boards, cover even behavioral studies like this where no direct physical harm is induced but still manipulates peoples' behaviors. This is the type of experiment you're referring to where you can't experiment on people without their consent (and by the way, I agree with this opinion).

Meanwhile, we have private funded research which has a far looser set of constraints and falls into everyday regulations. You can't really physically harm someone or inject syphilis in them (Tuskegee experiments) which makes sense, but when we start talking about human subjects in terms of data, privacy of data, or behavioral manipulation most regulation goes out the window.

These people likely could be reprimanded, even fired, and scarlet lettered making their career going forward more difficult (maybe not so much in this specific case because it's really not that harmful) but enough to screw them over financially and potentially in terms of career growth.

Meanwhile, some massive business could do this with their own funding and not bat an eye. Facebook could do this (I don't know why they would) but they could. Facebook is a prime example of largely unregulated human subject experimentation though. Social networks are a hotbed for data, interactions, and setting up experimentation. It's not just Facebook though (they're an obvious easy target), it's slews of businesses collecting data and manipulating it around consumers: marketing/advertising, product design/UX focusing on 'engagement', and all sorts of stuff. Every industry does this and that sort of human subject experimentation is accepted because $money$. Meanwhile, researchers from public funding sources are crucified for similar behaviors.

I'm not defending this sort of human subject experimentation, it's ethically questionable, wrong, and should involve punishment. I am however continually disgusted by the double standard we have. If we as a society really think this sort of experimentation on human subjects or human subject data is so awful, why do we allow it to occur under private capital and leave it largely unregulated?