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by saagarjha
2292 days ago
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I'm actually fairly undecided on the GitHub/ICE thing, largely because it doesn't make logical sense to me as something we should be doing in general (this is an open invitation for someone to provide an explanation, if they're so inclined…) The crux of my issue with it is that even if we assume "ICE is bad" GitHub makes software that is generally useful to everyone. Why are we asking for this particular contract to be cancelled? Will doing this help improve the situation in any way? Why are we mad at GitHub specifically, and not e.g. McDonalds which ICE might order food from, or Staples which ICE buys office supplies from? I fail to see why we should just arbitrarily ask certain companies that provide generally useful services to stop interacting with entities we disagree with… |
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We are asking for there to be negative consequences in general for companies who decide to operate with no moral or ethical compass. It's not about this contract: it's about sending a message to companies that collaboration with those who torture and murder is not okay, and will cost them business and retention.
Taking on customers entirely uncritically should not be without market risk. "I dunno man, I just sell hosting" is not an acceptable position.
Censorship isn't okay, but freedom of association is, and companies need incentives to exercise it to fire particular customers doing evil, and disincentives to turning a blind eye to how their products and services are being used.
To say this is just about "entities we disagree with" is to miss the point, I think. This isn't about "problematic speech", or the standard left/right claims of bias or censorship, or any other kind of the routine partisan tribal complaints you read about regularly. This is about concentration camps. Right here, in the United States.