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But what is harmful software? Today, while there are arguments about facebook being too addictive, it's really just competition between platforms, it's not ever
by coding123 6y ago
But what is harmful software? Today, while there are arguments about facebook being too addictive, it's really just competition between platforms, it's not everyone's opinion that the software engineers at facebook should be liable at this point for making an addictive algorithm. At some uncertain point in time, there's the possibility that facebook will be sued for the addictiveness and lose. Should that happen, I don't see why the software engineers should be partially to blame.
- eat_veggies 6y agoIf Facebook gets sued for its addictiveness and loses, then that would be a pretty solid judgment of its harm, wouldn't it? And it'd be up to the court to decide whether the engineers (and which ones) were complicit. There is room for nuance here. > I don't see why the software engineers should be partially to blame. Because they chose to build it! Software engineers aren't ignorant and helpless executors of instructions. They are responsible for what they build.
- coding123 6y agoThat makes no sense. That's the exact angle I'm trying to argue isn't feasible. It should absolutely be the corporate entity that takes the blame for things like that. If we were to change things to make the engineers directly responsible, we're just adding an entire industry that's not necessary. We'll end up creating an entire class of insurance for software development liability. It doesn't really change anything except again, raise the cost and shift burdens.