Dear Proton Engineers,

He means they won’t do it yet, because the backlash is causing problems. Either because they fear the loss of customers, or because they fear the engineers leaving before getting their replacements trained.

I suspect some folks would poison the training while looking for another job.

At first, I wondered why Comer would be opposing this sort of oligarchy-engineering. Maybe he’s just sniffing around to get his cut? But it could be Niemöller’s ghost finally rising to a level that reaches Comer.

And the CEO said:

• First they came for the artists, and I did not speak out because I have no heart.
• Then they came for the writers, and I did not speak out because I have no soul.
• Then they came for the actors, and I did not speak out because I have no emotions.
• Then they came for the software engineers, and I did not speak out because I have no mind.
• Then they came for the infosec people, and I did not speak out because I have no wisdom.
• Then they came for me. And the artists, writers, actors, software engineers, and infosec people laughed derisively at me. So I called James Comer.

The oligarchs might love this, but the third string C-suite execs that dine with Comer at the finest gas-station barbecue place in Paducah? The AIs have finally come for them.

Perverts bought pervert glasses from pervert corp to perv on women without their knowledge or consent. Then they found out that pervert corp, which is famous for perving on its customers without their knowledge or consent, has been perving on the pervert glasses perverts, without their knowledge or consent. The perverts are both surprised and upset that they have become victims of perving while trying to perv.

These aren’t the kind of saber-rattling disputes that make it to trial (or even go beyond the sternly worded letters stage). Neither side wants to fight it in court, because it’s a murky. The most noteworthy recent curtailing of it was when SCOTUS went 5-4 in favor of religion over profit in Hobby Lobby, which is hardly a strong case for board independence.

“The company says it may share user information in limited emergencies if it believes disclosure is necessary to prevent death or serious physical injury.”

Also keep in mind: Your chat logs are company assets. Even if today’s decision makers believe maintaining user trust is net profitable, that will not always be true. Some day, maybe when the pullback comes and the wolves are at the gates, or when they sell the company, or when a shareholder action asserts fiduciary duty to maximize shareholder value, your chat logs will be sold and mined in the most lucrative way possible. The way that extracts the most value from you, the product.

Your disgust is valid. But the developer generally has no gall, and no agency. The corporation tells them to pack and monetize the clickthroughs like feeding puppies into a sausage machine. The developer never thought that would be the job.

In fact, every time you don’t see something like this, it’s because some developer said, “Enough, I won’t do this,” putting their job (and their next rent payment) on the line. I lost two jobs that way.

Don’t let them divide us. The fascist oligarchs are the villains.