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The Tech Worker Handbook

techworkerhandbook.org

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Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#91

Post by dredmorbius »

1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #90
dredmorbius wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Senate subcommittee also made quite clear that they'd be protecting Haugen against any legal, or other, threats, in yesterday's testimony. How substantive that promise is I'm not sure, but i was made and is part of the record. I strongly encourage listening if you have the time. Excellent information and discussion. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GOnpVQnv5Cw

According to WSJ, her NDA permits disclosure to Congress, regulatory bodies like the SEC, and law enforcement. The disclosure to the press (the public) however is a different question. Transcript as alternative to YouTube https://archive.org/details/CSPAN_20211006_050100_Facebook_W...

Thanks very much for the transcript.

Relevant quote (mangled grammar in original):

We will do anything and everthing to protect and stop any retaliation against you in any legal action the company may bring or anyone else, with that made very clear in the course of these proceedings.

At the 1:35 a.m. timestamp.

https://archive.org/details/CSPAN_20211006_050100_Facebook_W...

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#92

Post by hjrandom »

1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #73
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #64

> The Signals Network, the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that compiled these legal considerations, is one of these actors. The Signals Network enables whistleblowers and international journalists to work seamlessly together to hold powerful interests accountable A word of advice: Don't get your legal advice from the same journalists that want to use your story, and maybe also your name, to further their own caree…

To be fair, some have said this leaker from Facebook is quite vulnerable to being sued or even prosecuted and are probably wondering why Facebook is not taking legal action against her. The most obvious guess is that she is effectively protected by the press that Facebook is receiving at the moment. Without that publicity, i.e., the help of "conflicted" journalists, her legal arguments for protection seem rather weak…

I think she didn't leak novelties. Most of it is common sense or already known.

She is protected by the Democrats who want to install Internet censors at strategic corporations. Then the Democrats control all mainstream media and the mainstream web.

The big actual problem is of course massive data collection on everyone. That should be addressed, but won't, because the swamp needs the data.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#93

Post by afarrell »

nobody9999 wrote: post #71
btheshoe wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do like the perspective that programmers with a conscience forced to do bad things to the world are adversely affected, but it seems off to me to call that poor working conditions, because it seems to misidentify the people who the actions are hurting. I don't see anyone feeling sorry for the investment bankers of the '80s for having to go through a debaucherous, morally corrupt lifestyle.

>it seems to misidentify the people who the actions are hurting. Huh? How so? How does acknowledging that people of conscience may be distressed and appalled at the harm their company is doing (making their workplace an uncomfortable place) diminish recognition of that harm? I'm not suggesting that we should care only about such workers, I'm suggesting that should care about everyone . Why is that, in your view, inap…

In order to avoid confusion, it requires more specific language than "poor working conditions". Perhaps "morally-injurious working conditions"?

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#94

Post by tick_tock_tick »

walshemj wrote: post #18
_3u10 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would anyone making salary in the 1% (top 0.001% globally) range in the US want to unionize? I don’t get this whole anti tech thing from tech.

Why not George Clooney is a member of SAG (actors union) as is Daniel Craig.

That's just an example of an argument people make against unions. No matter what Clooney or Craig thinks they have no choice but to be a member of the SAG.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#95

Post by rsynnott »

laurent92 wrote: post #88
1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, some have said this leaker from Facebook is quite vulnerable to being sued or even prosecuted and are probably wondering why Facebook is not taking legal action against her. The most obvious guess is that she is effectively protected by the press that Facebook is receiving at the moment. Without that publicity, i.e., the help of "conflicted" journalists, her legal arguments for protection seem rather weak…

The word of mouth circulating around less technical people, is to assume she’s more a PR coup / a corporate plant. Actual whistleblowers don’t get leniency, exit their hideout at 47 looking 80 with dementia, in a wheelchair, portrayed as the most dangerous liability in the world, with two accusations of rape. Anyone not suicided, presented as friendly by the press, does not represent a risk for corporations.

What are you talking about?

A recent example would be Theranos, a clearly fraudulent company which was unusually aggressive towards its many whistleblowers (see John Carreyrou's excellent reporting). Theranos legally harassed its whistleblowers, but no-one had to go into hiding for 33 years, and the general view would be that Theranos's unusually aggressive approach has hurt its case rather than helped it.

I don't think anyone would claim that the Theranos whistleblowers weren't 'actual whistleblowers'.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#96

Post by rsynnott »

ForHackernews wrote: post #14

I don't really understand why we keep being told that these insiders who got rich at surveillance-tech companies are the ones we now have to rely on to fix the monster they've belatedly come to fear. What is there to learn from these so-called "whistleblowers"?

I mean, if a company is doing bad things, and particularly if it's breaking the law, it is not usually going to announce the fact to the world. Whistleblowing is very often how the truth gets out; how many more people would have had junk medical results if not for the Theranos whistleblowers, say?

Perhaps in an ideal world, the government would have perfect clarity on the bad things that companies were doing through regulatory oversight. But in practice we're not in that world and a nefarious company can quite effectively hide all sorts of wrongdoing for a long time.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#97

Post by goodpoint »

btheshoe wrote: post #31
moksly wrote: post #20

Regulating big tech is a democratic issue. It’s not up to the individual tech worker to do so, and I’m not convinced that all these movements aren’t “soft-solutions” organised by big tech to avoid people working on real solutions. Solutions like legal intervention from the EU and whatever government you are under. Poor working conditions are solved by forming unions. In Denmark we have strong unions, and while their…

For the most part poor working conditions are not the problem at big tech. Unethical decisions surrounding wellness of users are.

> For the most part poor working conditions are not the problem at big tech

...until you look for signs of burnout and ageism.

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#98

Post by bhickey »

dredmorbius wrote: post #91
1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to WSJ, her NDA permits disclosure to Congress, regulatory bodies like the SEC, and law enforcement. The disclosure to the press (the public) however is a different question. Transcript as alternative to YouTube https://archive.org/details/CSPAN_20211006_050100_Facebook_W...

Thanks very much for the transcript. Relevant quote (mangled grammar in original): We will do anything and everthing to protect and stop any retaliation against you in any legal action the company may bring or anyone else, with that made very clear in the course of these proceedings. At the 1:35 a.m. timestamp. https://archive.org/details/CSPAN_20211006_050100_Facebook_W...

I imagine they might haul Zuckerberg before the committee and spend a few hours asking him variations on "Why are you retaliating against Haugen?"

Re: The Tech Worker Handbook

#100

Post by goodpoint »

moksly wrote: post #20

Regulating big tech is a democratic issue. It’s not up to the individual tech worker to do so, and I’m not convinced that all these movements aren’t “soft-solutions” organised by big tech to avoid people working on real solutions. Solutions like legal intervention from the EU and whatever government you are under. Poor working conditions are solved by forming unions. In Denmark we have strong unions, and while their…

> It’s not up to the individual tech worker to do so

Correct! The handbook puts all focus on the individual and "forgets" to recommend collective action. I wonder why.

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