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Thanks. ICYMI, I've posted before on HN about false claims of unlawful harm that keep coming up. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845509 https://news

Thanks. ICYMI, I've posted before on HN about false claims of unlawful harm that keep coming up. See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845509 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845509 as a source of links; also for the thread in which it lives, which unfortunately runs to high indentation level before trailing off. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14849041 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14849041 is worth a read too on the topic of law and harm. Why does this matter now? Obviously it matters to lots of people (including here in these comments) who keep bringing me up, either to attack Mozilla or to attack me. You can search Twitter and try to keep score -- I think subtweeted sentiment has turned in my favor, but both sides keep going. My Mozilla exit is a prop in the culture wars, even though I never harmed anyone and am still doing what I've always done: working with people from all backgrounds, innovating via open source and open web tech against the big Internet superpowers who emerge and, due to network effects, end up operating against their users' interests. It's time to drop the prop and stop fighting. I don't expect everyone to listen, but I'll give it a shot here anyway: What we need most, on the Web and in the world, is unity against big threats such as surveillance capitalism. Apple and Brave block third party tracking by default. I hope Mozilla will do the same if its search revenue-share deals allow that. In the mean time, if you do choose to use Firefox, you can enable its optional Tracking Protection feature.

hirundo 8y ago
It isn't a choice between attention to your case and attention to substance. If people who respect you heed you, and those who don't, don't, then your name by default becomes a cultural prop for the auto-da-fe. That's worth countering with an occasional dissenting web post. I agree that our most critical current tech challenge, maybe on par with energy, curing disease or extraterrestrial diaspora, is the decentralization of internet services. You are peculiarly positioned to make a positive contribution to that. If the inquisition succeeds in quashing you they may accomplish genuine harm.
- BrendanEich 8y ago
  I would not exaggerate either my role, or the power of any would-be Inquisition. People give mobs too much credit (to bootstrap power they do not merit) or blame (to excuse or cover up prior problems that can be seen through the mob's crowd, if you are willing to look).

hirundo 8y ago

It isn't a choice between attention to your case and attention to substance. If people who respect you heed you, and those who don't, don't, then your name by default becomes a cultural prop for the auto-da-fe. That's worth countering with an occasional dissenting web post. I agree that our most critical current tech challenge, maybe on par with energy, curing disease or extraterrestrial diaspora, is the decentralization of internet services. You are peculiarly positioned to make a positive contribution to that. If the inquisition succeeds in quashing you they may accomplish genuine harm.

BrendanEich 8y ago
I would not exaggerate either my role, or the power of any would-be Inquisition. People give mobs too much credit (to bootstrap power they do not merit) or blame (to excuse or cover up prior problems that can be seen through the mob's crowd, if you are willing to look).