zlacker

>>Xordev+(OP)
I would have thought that the workers at GitHub would know as much as anyone that restricting access to one Git service would have a negligible impact on ICE. The real impact would be on GitHub themselves, as they would lose any opportunity to help guide policy or technology at ICE or any other government agency.

It may feel better to watch and yell from the outside, and you may have the moral high ground in doing so. But change happens from the inside. We need more companies like GitHub working with agencies to reform their policies.

Also, change is slow. Protests are step one, but there are probably 235 more steps until change is realized. Slow and steady, my friends.

EDIT: To answer the questions about how a company influences policy. Companies influence policy all. the. time. Look at ALEC[1] look at PACs. Look at the fact that Microsoft is not going to be offering facial recognition tech until privacy protections are passed. Not saying ALEC is good, but it exists.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legislative_Exchange_...

>>salmon+Vg
I'm pretty sure github has zero impact on the tech choices made by ICE or any other government agency.

>>zachri+1i
GitHub perhaps, but we are talking Microsoft, and we are talking other corporate powers. One of the things I hear all the time is that corporations influence public policy _too much_. Look at ALEC, look at PACs etc.

Companies _can_ influence policy. Look at Microsoft saying they won't offer facial recognition until laws are passed.

>>salmon+Wi
Right, Microsoft is influencing policy at ICE by refusing to provide them facial recognition software, which prevents them from having facial recognition software.

In general, if the idea is that a tool makes you more efficient/effective, denying that tool does the opposite. Making ICE less effective seems laudable, so why not throw roadblocks, even small ones, in the way?

>>joshua+En
Because ICE as an organization isn't purely bad, nor is it purely good. As it is made up of people, there are good and bad. ICE also fights sex trafficking, which to me is akin to modern day slavery. I want ICE to have every tool at their disposal to fight sex trafficking.

If we stop ICE from using these tools, are you saying that sex trafficking victims are less worthy of help than detained immigrants? How do you draw that line?