[xenocyon]

IMHO an entity is ethically responsible for anything its contractor does, unless there is reasonable clarity that the contractor acted in opposition to the client's wishes. Having someone else do your dirty work doesn't make it less dirty.

[Kylekramer]

If I order a pizza and the stoned teenager from the local joint runs over a pedestrian, am I ethically responsible? I didn't tell them to not hit people when getting my meat lovers to me and did say I wanted it ASAP.

[CaptainZapp]

The pizza joint hired the stoned teen, he's not contracted by you.

It's a pretty rotten analogy.

[Kylekramer]

The pizza joint hired the teen, I contracted the pizza joint to get me a pizza. The teen did it a shitty way that is hard to be expected.

Randstad hired the people, Google contracted Randstad to do a job. Randstad's people did it in a shitty way that is hard to expected.

It's a pretty fresh analogy.

[JohnFen]

I think the analogy is a poor one, but let's run with it anyway.

No, you are not responsible because the teen was not operating within the terms of the contract. You did not authorize or ask him to get stoned or run someone over.

[privateSFacct]

Did google authorize (or even think) that their staff would contract with a company that would hire folks who would scan homeless people's faces in a way that was improper?

[JohnFen]

I don't know. I do know that in these kinds of situations, the contract typically spells out clearly what, exactly, the contractor is going to do and how, though.

[ceejayoz]

You are not liable. The pizza joint may be, and should either carry insurance or require their contractor to do so.

[jasonlotito]

Yes, if you order a pizza from a local pizza place that you know to go out of their way to hit pedestrians and break laws, you are ethically responsible.

[kachnuv_ocasek]

Why would you order pizza from a joint where stoned teenagers make the deliveries in the first place? If you knew that then yes, you're morally responsible.

[iamtheworstdev]

Because in some places the only pizza employees you can find are stoned. Your local Papa John's or Domino's is probably a great place to find info for a local weed hookup.

[ehsankia]

That's entirely fair, I'm not absolving Google here, they should vet their contractors and make sure the job is done right. We probably won't know but I would like to know where these decisions came from as you mention. I just don't see the incentive for Google to push for such a messy work, I highly doubt there's a lack of people who would be happy to give their face data for 5$.

[Analemma_]

Especially when more and more it seems like the main reason companies are using contractors is to launder responsibility for the shady things they do.