[ale] Money for the cause

[The Don Lachlan]

On Fri, May 20, 2011 at 01:10:44PM -0400, David Hillman wrote:
> I found out later that Secure Computing's web filter software was in use by
> the Iranian government to block their citizens from accessing websites.
>  Secure Computing has also been known to actively bid for contracts from
> other repressive regimes in the Middle East.  They claimed to not be
> responsible for how their customers used their products.  Maybe it wasn't
> all about the money then.  Still, so many of those companies pretend to be
> nice, when they are not.  Is it even important to care what a company does,
> as long as they provide a warranty and a device that runs well enough?  How
> about having access to the specs and source code?  You end up getting
> disappointed on either side of the fence.  What's an idealist to do?  Sit on
> the fence?

It's not idealism, it's principle.

Many can do far more than one; one is usually best served joining or leading
many. There are organizations to join (EFF, CDT, others) where you can
contribute money or time and make a larger impact than as a single person.
As an individual...

My ethics often get in the way of my job prospects. It means there are fewer
jobs I'll take and fewer vendors I'll work with. Personally, I think that
any company which sells tools or services to a repressive regime is
responsible for the consequences and should be prosecuted. I've found that
I'm in the minority, especially around Georgia.

Basically, it comes down to how much you care and how much you think your
(lack of) support matters. I use Google and Yahoo services even though
they've turned over dissidents to China (and possibly others). I buy Linksys
gear even though Cisco is one of the biggest players in suppressing dissent
around the world. I doubt my personal boycott of them would affect them
much; OTOH, I think they gain little from me while I gain greatly from them,
so that they're supporting me argue against them. If you do decide to
boycott a company, it will hurt you financially and socially. You also have
to deal with any company that you vet and decide is "clean" may change later
or information may come out that they haven't been clean - as you've seen
first hand.

It's a confusing issue with no clear answers. I'm sure plenty of people on
this list support companies "making a living" by selling to whoever will buy
it. I think they're wrong but it's too complex to prove empirically one way
or the other and ethics and morals are not universal.

I would say that if this troubles you, you're going to have difficulty
working for or with any publicly traded company; they have a "fiduciary
responsibility" that trumps any moral issues. Their purpose is to make
money.

I think the Feds are auctioning the Unabomber's stuff if you wanna go that
route... ;)

-L