[vrdabomb5717]

I disagree. I think it's prudent for hackers to think of the social and environmental costs associated with making great products. Hackers don't live in a vacuum, and even the best of companies should acknowledge that there are costs associated with becoming big and selling to customers all over the world. Moreover, there are some people who wouldn't like to work for a company that disregards or looks down on its workers; after all, that's why many of us young people think that the CS graduates who go on to work at a bank and take advantage of others' bad luck and misfortune are selling out. The GNU and Free Software movement arose out of a similar mindset, where companies were using copyrights and patents to take advantage of their customers and keep them locked in. Hackers should strive not only to make great software and products, but also ensure that they do so responsibly.

The reason we see so many articles about Apple or Walmart mistreating their workers isn't because of any union mudslinging. Unions have plenty of their own problems to take care of, with basic labor rights being called into question and the right to unionize slowly being taken away in states across the country, but that's besides the point. Any company that makes it big and becomes popular with the public will have its practices scrutinized by the media, by socially-conscious individuals, and by competitors. That we haven't heard much about HP or Dell mistreating workers isn't so much because the media is biased, but because those companies have lost mindshare and the public is less incensed when lesser-known companies take advantage of workers in other countries.

While I'd love to work for Apple and have an iPad, iPhone, and MacBook, I also would like to see them help the workers' living and work conditions at Foxconn and their other suppliers. Unfortunately, I also like having great products, and know that I'm a hypocrite for being bothered by the poor conditions in Foxconn factories and yet not caring enough to change or inconvenience myself. This doesn't mean that there aren't others who won't be bothered by this behavior, and it's important for the public to be aware of living and working conditions in the US and elsewhere so that companies are forced to at least respond to the problems that are exposed.