The Rising Ethical Storm in Open Source
summary
Argues that open source code is actively powering mass surveillance, protest suppression and ICE detention operations, not just benign projects, and proposes concrete responses: a 2019 Hippocratic License that restricts abusive uses, an audit app icebreaker.dev that maps Palantir’s 195 GitHub repos and their thousands of OSS dependencies, the widespread adoption of CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md and Contributor Covenant practices, and an ethics working group of 200+ volunteers — all presented as pragmatic tools to change who benefits from open source.
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chapters (9)
- 0:00The parable of the locksmith
- 3:05The rise of open source
- 5:16Technology and human rights
- 7:38Edmund Berkeley's legacy
- 11:30History of scientific ethics
- 14:27Complicity in the modern age
- 17:33Paradigm shifts and solutions
- 20:41Call to action for developers
- 24:44Q&A and concluding thoughts
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