Categories and Criteria

When I think of the ethics of consuming for a given category, it’s in consideration to the aspects that are most exploited by the those who stand to profit in that particular category. For example in banking & finance the greatest ethical consideration might be what the bank or institution invests in to grow its revenue or your dividends. Another example is an electronic device - perhaps a criteria might be privacy and security. Each category of consumption here considers criteria specific to that category. Sometimes I can find solutions that check off all the boxes and sometimes the best option is just the least worst.

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  • This isn't just at the top because I am a tech nerd. This category is increasingly more important when one considers how much time is spent online or in front of a screen. What hardware we choose to live our lives has become a critical impact consideration.

    THE CRITERIA

    1. Privacy

    2. Security

    3. Source (open or closed)

    4. Customization & Control

    5. User Serviceability

    6. Shelf Life

    Note
    The unfortunate truth of electronics is that even "do-good" hardware makers still rely on sourcing raw materials that are harmful to human life, animal life, and the natural environment. This is true during the extraction of the minerals as well as the varying labor practices that occur in facilities where components are manufactured and devices are assembled. If you are vegan or environmentalist let it be understood your phone and your laptop are among the least vegan things in your life. Moreover the time you spend online requires activity in data centers and server farms that are adding to the cost of the aforementioned categories. Your best deterrent is to be highly intentional with your consumer choice the amount of time you spend with your device(s) online or offline.

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My Pillars of Tech

First, and Inconvenient Truth
When I think about tech and ethics it’s a mixed bag. Let’s make one thing clear. If you, like most people, own a laptop, phone, and third device like a tablet, an ereader, and or gaming console it is among the least ethical things you own. And if you’re vegan it is the least vegan thing you own. Cobalt is an essential element in the batteries of all these devices. Mining this material is incredibly hazardous to the environment, wildlife, and the humans who are tasked with extracting it from their Earth. And those who work hard to get it so we can scroll, sit in pointless meetings, and watch cats do things usually suffer dearly for it. You also use these things for very important things that are both professional and personal. Any company that touts sustainability, up-cycled materials, saving trees, or protecting an acre of rain forest with every laptop sale is simply pulling a page out of PT Barnum’s book.

So, when we consider the ethics of tech it’s how to take the power out the hands of charlatans as much as possible and do whatever we can in our power to reduce the negative impact our consumption causes. That means we need to look towards other morals that are within our grasp as consumers. These are pillars of ethics in the context of tech.

  • This is by far the most critical. The aforementioned harm to the natural world is unavoidable. So, our goal here is to reduce the impact that is created with every new product that is made and released. For this we look at the upgrade cycle. Phone companies and big tech events that tout newer, faster, thinner, lighter gadgets on an annual basis is simply too often and unsustainable. A good rule to follow is at least a five year upgrade cycle. In some cases an even greater period of time with your devices.

    Some degree of regulation should what slows down the rampant release of new products but until or if ever that comes to pass, we can slow it down with our wallets.

  • This may be a US-centric attitude but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say they have resigned themselves to accepting that nothing in their lives in private and there’s nothing to do about it. But the issue here is if you aren’t showing up for yourself then you can’t really show up for others. That resignation makes us complicit in someone else’s misfortune. So let’s hold our own data sovereignty to a higher standard, hold our data holders to a higher standard, and keep our online communities safer and more prosperous. There are many alternatives to the evil empires we acquiesce to to make our lives easier. We don’t have to settle.

  • This often gets grouped with privacy. That hazard there is a company, product, or service might tout excellent privacy standards but suck at security. If we don’t look closely we might be giving up more than we realize. Privacy is about making sure the people we give our info and money to aren’t bad actors. Security is making sure that the external bad actors can’t get access to that info or money. Some products and services are better at one or the other and some are great at both.

  • A quick definition from Wiki: is software that is available under a license that grants the right to use, modify, and distribute the software, modified or not, to everyone free of charge.

    This is not to say that closed or proprietary software can only be evil but a good analogy could be pharmaceuticals.

    When we think drugs like treatment for male-pattern baldness we might agree that a formula that is patented and kept proprietary might be perpetually improved through a business models driven by sales. This isn’t saving lives and it isn’t causing suffering by limiting access to the “secret recipe.”

    A life saving drug that could have a massive, global impact, if made as accessible as possible could be a really good thing for everyone. And it’s really messed up when that life saving drug is walled off with a proprietary protection. It causes needless suffering and stifles human potential.

    The same can be true for software. Some things might work as well as a highly specialized product driven by sales of that product. Where other software like (in my opinion) an operating system to could appreciate from a community of contributors to grow and serve the interests of the people.

My De-Googled Services of Choice

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • My navigation needs and while HERE can collect data they are very deliberate offering opt and out options for certain kinds of data collection.

  • Apple Translate still collects data but like all Apple products and services they aren’t an advertiser supported model. You are less an end user and more a customer. You buy in with a premium up front cost with their hardware and it grants access to some tools like translate. I don’t love it but I can live with it until there’s I find a good free and open source alternative that is mobile.