[governance] WSJ "U.S. Products Help Block Mideast Web"

[McTim]

On Wed, Apr 6, 2011 at 8:12 PM, Ivar A. M. Hartmann
<ivarhartmann at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Technology in a broad sense is obviously neutral.
> But is the way certain technologies are developed always necessarily neutral? If code is law and law is absolutely never neutral, then it follows that all software is designed with a purpose.

from the original article:

"Web-filtering technology has roots in the 1990s, when U.S. companies,
schools and libraries sought to prevent people from surfing porn,
among other things."

so, yes, it had a purpose.


Are we up in arms because this code was written in the USA and is
being used elsewhere?  What if it had been written in say Bahrain, or
Botswana, would it then be evil software still, or would it be a South
-> North tech transfer that we would applaud?

I second Miguel's position on this one.

--
Cheers,

McTim
"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A
route indicates how we get there."  Jon Postel
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