Careful, Shatto — Facebook is watching

Even new technology is not always sure how to deal with archaic laws, as evidenced by the recent criticism of Facebook for banning any promotions involving dairy products.

Facebook has lumped dairy in with gambling, tobacco, firearms, prescription drugs and gasoline, in order to avoid running afoul of state laws. Dairy wasn’t singled out; it was just a question of attempting to adhere to the letter of the law. That was what Facebook suggested after being challenged by the advocacy group Center for Consumer Freedom:

The company “initially banned dairy promotions due to individual state laws that impose penalties for distributing dairy at a discounted rate,” it explained to CCF in a statement.