[arethuza]

"helping create weapons or surveillance technology should be strictly forbidden"

That assumes that there are no legitimate reasons for weapons or surveillance technology to exist - and what counts as a weapons or "surveillance technology"? (e.g. are average speed cameras "surveillance technology")

As a bit of background I actually failed an interview once when I was asked about my views on nuclear weapons and I replied (this was the late 80s) "they are a necessary evil". Quite what an acceptable answer would have been escapes me...

[st0neage]

I fail to see the legitimate reason software assisted weapons or mass surveillance tech have to exist. Enlighten me? See my other reply below for your relativation fallacy.

[arethuza]

"Software assisted weapons" have existed in one form or another for ~60 years (even longer if you count analogue computers). I'm not sure why you need a "legitimate reason" for these things to exist - they already do and arguing that they shouldn't doesn't achieve very much.