3 ms·
> and a letter signed by at least 1,666 Google employees demanding the company stop selling technology to police departments. I had to read this link to see wh
by creato 6y ago
> and a letter signed by at least 1,666 Google employees demanding the company stop selling technology to police departments.
I had to read this link to see what it was talking about. Maybe some ridiculous AI crime prediction algorithm?
> Google employees also expressed frustration with Google's praise of police departments like Clarkston PD that used G Suite software
Err, what the hell? Is someone supposed to be ashamed of selling email and docs/spreadsheet software to police departments? Of all the things Google does, selling G Suite is probably one of the most "moral". It's a simple exchange of money for basic useful services, with few/no strings attached.
What am I missing?
- trevyn 6y agocomplicit: “choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act.” If you feel that the act is questionable, you know that you are involved, and you choose to remain involved, you are complicit. Trying to morally distance yourself by coming up with justifications is self-hypnosis. Which is fine, but it’s deceiving yourself.
- kmlx 6y agoyeah, they're using the wrong word as there's nothing questionable going on. how people "feel" on the other hand...
- AnthonyMouse 6y agoShould Google and everyone else also stop paying taxes, because they fund the police?
- trevyn 6y agoIf you are assuming that this would be absurd, that assumption and the belief system it rests on may be preventing you from seeing and understanding what is happening. There is a long history of people doing personally uncomfortable things after checking their internal moral compass.
- luckylion 6y ago> If you feel that the act is questionable The "act" of law enforcement in general? Is anyone (a few very confused people aside) even arguing that?
- Ambol 6y agoIt's trendy this week to take simplistic positions regarding law enforcement, so people jump into that train. It costs them nothing, it makes them look good, and it makes them feel good about themselves without actually changing anything.
- novok 6y agoAre we going to get angry at staples because they buy paper there too?
- Krasnol 6y agoIt's about this post: https://gsuite.google.com/customers/clarkstown-police-department.html https://gsuite.google.com/customers/clarkstown-police-depart... and the fact that Google chose this PD "while facing lawsuits for illegal surveillance of Black Lives Matter activists". It's not about G Suite itself but this PD. Seriously man, english is not even my native language but I could understand that.
- lrem 6y agoThere are the AI principles now that are meant to prevent the ridiculous abuses of the advanced tech. The conversation has moved on to the level of "should we do any business with orgs we have moral doubts about". Anything "less moral" would raise an eyebrow.