this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2024
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Privacy

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The only thing worse than an echo chamber is letting a self-created bad idea fester in the head.

I came to the conclusion a few months ago that software developers and coders who worked at Meta, Google, Amazon, etc are as culprit as their CEOs and the company itself. I will lay down my points below, but I understand that this might be a logical extreme of my distaste for these corporations.

Here's my rationale:

  1. Actions of the company they serve: The corporations they serve actively disenfranchise users, track them, sell their private / personal information to unscrupulous parties without any care on how it affects the person, or the society. They thrive on engagement rather than content. They have "commodified" the fundamental right to privacy. This has real world implications that has directly resulted in the spread of misinformation, political unrest, threatened elections, riots, and deaths of thousands of people.
  2. Awareness of the consequences: By virtue of their position, these are people with the capacity to read, and think for themselves. There are news articles: across the political spectrum in all major news sites, that report how the platform/ company they serve negatively affects society. Facebook's Cambridge Analytica fiasco, Snowden's expose, etc are credible and well documented examples that even non-tech people are aware. Yet they choose to ignore all this, and continue working / seek to join these companies.
  3. Cowardice: It is often wrapped in the garb of "self-interest", but they do not raise their voice when they know that the software and platform they're told to develop is going to be used to spy on their brethren. They claim they're trying to make a living, but can use their skills to develop counter products to these horrible companies, or work for those that are sensitive and conscientious towards customer's needs and welfare.
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[–] blindbunny@lemmy.ml 14 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I once worked for a big finical company. Things were great I made lots of money they matched my 401k. Then COVID happened. After watching this big financial company continue to charge interest when, I my manager and his boss knew people couldn't afford to even make payments on their existing debt. Debt they had when the word COVID didn't even exist and when they had a job it effected me and my sobriety. People saying, "We're all in this together" brought me to an indescribable rage. I still know people that work there but I don't think I could call them friends. They're still complicit in keeping the poor, poor and making the executives richer. I just checked they're on $177 billion in assets and meanwhile charging interest during a pandemic.

If you work for an information broker as a free service you're just as complicit in this fucked up system of self interest over collective success. Good post op.