Why Platform Data is Essential to Public Health Efforts in Tobacco Control – Tech Policy Press

Report on the Role of Public Platform Data in Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being

Executive Summary: Digital Platforms as a Determinant of Public Health

Public online platforms have become a critical determinant of public health, directly impacting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3): Good Health and Well-being. Research utilizing platform data is essential for monitoring systemic health risks, including the promotion of tobacco, the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. However, significant challenges in data access and utility hinder the ability of public health organizations to conduct research, hold corporations accountable, and inform policies necessary to achieve SDG 3. This report outlines the use of platform data in tobacco control, the obstacles faced by researchers, and the implications for global health and sustainable development.

Analysis of Tobacco Industry Practices on Digital Platforms and Their Impact on SDG 3

The tobacco industry’s extensive use of online platforms directly undermines SDG 3’s target to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases. The industry leverages these platforms to circumvent traditional advertising regulations and target vulnerable populations, including youth.

• Youth Targeting: In the United States, 10% of high school students (1.97 million) report using a tobacco product. The tobacco industry has followed this demographic online, with the top five e-cigarette companies doubling their social media advertising spending between 2018 and 2020.
• Corporate Promotion and Influence: The industry uses platforms not only to promote harmful products but also to enhance its public image and oppose public health regulation. Research indicates that a significant portion of highly retweeted posts concerning tobacco policy originates from accounts with ties to the tobacco industry.

The Application of Platform Data in Tobacco Control Research to Support Public Health Goals

Public health research using platform data provides critical evidence for policymaking, contributing to both SDG 3 and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) by promoting accountability and informed governance. This work has informed congressional reports, state lawsuits, and federal health advisories.

1. Monitoring Marketing Tactics: Analysis of platform data reveals how the industry targets youth. A Truth Initiative study of 15 brand-owned Instagram accounts found widespread use of youth-appealing themes, with only 13% of posts including compliant warning labels.
2. Understanding Public Health Issues: Social listening on platforms enables researchers to analyze public sentiment regarding new tobacco control policies and understand individuals’ experiences with quitting nicotine products.
3. Assessing Public Health Campaigns: Platform data is used to measure the effectiveness of digital campaigns designed to promote tobacco cessation and prevention, optimizing efforts to improve public health outcomes.

Barriers to Data Access and Their Implications for SDG 16 and SDG 3

Restricted and flawed access to platform data creates significant barriers to public health research, impeding progress toward SDG 3 and undermining the principles of transparency and access to information central to SDG 16.

• API Closures and Restrictions: The closure of critical data sources like the Pushshift (Reddit) and Twitter Research APIs has rendered longitudinal and large-scale public health studies untenable.
• Data Inaccuracy: Platform-provided research tools can be unreliable. An audit of the TikTok Research API revealed that the vast majority of videos had over 90% of their views missing from the API data compared to the public-facing platform.
• Algorithmic Obscurity: Proprietary algorithms make it difficult to measure demographic exposure to tobacco content. This lack of transparency hinders efforts to understand and counteract the industry’s history of targeting specific communities, a challenge related to SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
• Data Deletion Policies: Platforms often allow corporate entities the same data deletion rights as private individuals. Tobacco brands like Juul and Geek Bar have removed their social media accounts after scrutiny, erasing evidence of their marketing practices and obstructing regulatory action.
• Exclusionary Research Tools: Research tools may exclude relevant data. The Meta Content Library was found to omit brand accounts that set an age gate of 18 or older, thereby excluding 28 of 40 brand-owned accounts from a sample analysis.

Ethical and Methodological Challenges in Monitoring Pro-Tobacco Content

The nature of online platforms presents unique challenges for monitoring content that is detrimental to public health.

• Undeclared Financial Relationships: Platform policies often fail to ensure transparency. Instagram prohibits the use of its branded content tool for tobacco products, resulting in e-cigarette influencers failing to disclose financial connections as required by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
• Ambiguous Affiliate and Influencer Content: The rise of affiliate marketing programs and “zynfluencers” for oral nicotine pouches blurs the line between organic user content and compensated advertising. This complicates efforts to attribute marketing to manufacturers and hold them accountable, a key component of strengthening institutions under SDG 16.
• International Content Exposure: Users in a country with strong advertising regulations, such as the United States, can still be exposed to marketing content from brand accounts based in other regions, creating a global regulatory loophole.

Conclusion: Integrating Public Health into Platform Data Governance for the SDGs

Public health is a frequently overlooked dimension in discussions about platform data governance. The documented use of online platforms by the tobacco, alcohol, and gambling industries to promote harmful products establishes these digital spaces as an important determinant of health. To advance SDG 3 and build the transparent institutions envisioned in SDG 16, it is imperative that public health researchers have access to transparent, accurate, and comprehensive platform data. Such access is vital for identifying harmful content, understanding corporate influence, and developing effective public health interventions for a sustainable future.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: This is the central SDG addressed. The article focuses on the public health crisis caused by tobacco and nicotine products, particularly their marketing to and use by young people. It discusses efforts to prevent nicotine addiction, promote cessation, and reduce the burden of preventable diseases caused by tobacco, which is the “leading cause of preventable death in the United States.”
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article connects to this goal by highlighting the challenges in regulating the tobacco industry’s online activities. It discusses how the industry works to “oppose regulation,” the failure of influencers to comply with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) disclosure guidelines, and the need for transparent data from platforms to enable effective oversight by public health and regulatory institutions. The lack of data access hinders the ability of these institutions to hold corporations accountable.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. The article directly supports this target by focusing on tobacco control, as tobacco use is a primary cause of non-communicable diseases. The research mentioned aims to prevent youth addiction, which is a key strategy for reducing future mortality.
• Target 3.5: Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol. Nicotine is an addictive substance. The article’s emphasis on preventing “youth and young adult nicotine addiction” and research into “individuals’ experiences quitting vaping” directly aligns with strengthening the prevention and understanding of substance abuse.
• Target 3.a: Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate. This target is addressed through the article’s discussion of monitoring the tobacco industry’s marketing tactics, enforcing regulations on warning labels and advertising disclosures, and countering the industry’s efforts to influence policy, all of which are core components of the FCTC.
• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The article implies a need to strengthen this target by showing how opaque platform algorithms and restricted data access (“the closure of the Pushshift API,” inaccurate TikTok Research API) prevent public health organizations and regulators from effectively monitoring corporate behavior and enforcing rules, thus hindering institutional accountability.
• Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information. The central argument of the article is the critical need for researchers to have “access to transparent, accurate platform data.” This data is presented as vital public information necessary to conduct research that informs policy, protects public health, and holds powerful industries accountable.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Prevalence of tobacco use among youth: The statistic that “1.97 million (10%) of high school students report using a tobacco or nicotine product” serves as a direct indicator for measuring the scale of youth substance use (Target 3.5).
• Industry marketing expenditure and reach: The fact that “Spending on social media advertising by the top five e-cigarette companies doubled between 2018 and 2020” is an indicator of the industry’s marketing efforts that need to be controlled (Target 3.a). The finding that pro-Zyn videos “garnered hundreds of millions of views” is an indicator of the reach of pro-tobacco content.
• Compliance with advertising regulations: The article provides specific metrics that serve as indicators of non-compliance. For example, “only 13% of posts [on brand-owned Instagram accounts] including compliant warning labels” and the finding that “only one [out of 262 influencer posts] complied with FTC disclosure guidelines” measure the failure to implement tobacco control and advertising regulations (Target 3.a).
• Industry influence on policy discourse: The research finding that “24 of the 58 most retweeted Twitter accounts posting about tobacco policy had ties to the tobacco industry” is an indicator of the industry’s efforts to oppose regulation and influence public and political opinion (Target 3.a).
• Accessibility and accuracy of platform data for research: The article provides clear indicators of the failure of platforms to provide transparent data. The facts that the TikTok API “underreported views by more than 5 million” and that only 12 of 40 brand-owned accounts were available in the Meta Content Library serve as indicators for measuring the lack of transparency and public access to information needed for institutional accountability (Targets 16.6 and 16.10).

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: techpolicy.press