I love how so many people say “keep politics out of open source” when FLOSS was started by a pack of Libertarians.

Its origins aside, technology is ALWAYS political— no matter what kind of license it comes with.

What’s political about it? Its very design contains artifacts of the politics and biases of its creators.

What’s more, it’s used in the context of a human society, and has disproportionate impact on the lives of people across the world.

That can’t be apolitical.

“When one reflects upon the great forces that we computer people are associated with, it is no longer difficult to grasp, and perhaps to accept, our heavier-than-average share of responsibility.”

(Committee on the Social Responsibility of Computer Scientists, 1958)

The findings of the report boiled down into four simple statements about the ethical obligations of computer scientists.

First, that a technologist (“computer person”) cannot ignore their social responsibilities.

Technologists cannot delegate their social responsibilities.

“He (sic) cannot rightly neglect to think about how his special role can benefit or harm society.“

And finally, that we cannot avoid deciding between conflicting responsibilities.

This was true in 1958 and it’s even more true in 2020.