Ask HN: How can we change ethics in big tech?

#1

Post by joopmoore » Fri, Jun 07, 2024, 11:10 AM UTC

Big tech profits from violating a lot of ethics. Public don't seem to care because big tech is free, and/or they don't know. No push for change, either side. But ethics are still violated on grant scale. How can we change this?

Re: Ask HN: How can we change ethics in big tech?

#2

Post by Quinzel » Fri, Jun 07, 2024, 11:22 AM UTC

Maybe big tech could try hiring for diversity of thought…

I don’t mean diversity on the basis of gender, ethnicity, or sexuality…

I mean, hire people who are experts in other areas other than tech as well… and maybe teach them some tech along the way because they’re working in tech, but hire them for the potential gains that can come from having people who see the world a different way, who have a different perspective and who are experts in other areas that are not tech.

Re: Ask HN: How can we change ethics in big tech?

#3

Post by nabla9 » Fri, Jun 07, 2024, 11:40 AM UTC

Only way to change corporate behavior is to change incentives. Government regulation and laws are the way to do that.

Apart from above accept that corporations are fundamentally amoral entities.

Re: Ask HN: How can we change ethics in big tech?

#4

Post by mrkeen » Fri, Jun 07, 2024, 12:20 PM UTC

Quinzel wrote: post #2

Maybe big tech could try hiring for diversity of thought… I don’t mean diversity on the basis of gender, ethnicity, or sexuality… I mean, hire people who are experts in other areas other than tech as well… and maybe teach them some tech along the way because they’re working in tech, but hire them for the potential gains that can come from having people who see the world a different way, who have a different perspecti…

> hire them for the potential gains that can come from having people who see the world a different way

Too optimistic.

I contracted for a company for a few months where I worked on GDPR.

While I was there they talked about their plans to release their next product without microtransactions because that tanks reviews, and then add microtransactions later in an update.

They are very conscious of what they're doing.

They were compelled to work on GDPR issues, not microtransactions.

... Oh right now as I'm writing this out, I realise this restaurant is only playing shitty covers of well-known songs. The streaming services are already only paying the original artists pennies, and now they need to cut out that expense too?