For folx interested in #EthicalSource, this little piece of work I commissioned recently might be of interest: https://gist.github.com/pmonks/fdce58caa882c883e14da685a4dab633 #OpenSource #FOSS #AI #DunningKrugerAsAService
#EthicalSource
Just stumbled upon this **BANGER** from @erlend, and hoo boy did it profoundly resonate: https://blog.muni.town/open-source-power/ #OpenSource #EthicalSource
It amuses me no end that musicians and artists can come out shouting against their work being used by fascists and murderers and are applauded.
And when one suggests that that might be a good position to take publicly for "us", inevitably someone comes out of the woodwork with "well actually then it would no longer be Free or Open Source because of the four freedoms"
The Hanami project announces that it has upgraded to Contributor Covenant 3!
https://hanamirb.org/blog/2025/09/02/hanami-adopts-contributor-covenant-3-0/
Is there a resource for locating ethical companies/products which accounts for as many ethical concerns as possible, all in one place? Eg, palm oil, apartheid, fascism, surveillance capitalism, animal welfare, AI, big tech, and so on, and so on, and so on. It's exhausting trying to keep up, and it's starting to feel like there are no good options.
Or is this something worth building?
The team behind the new Contributor Covenant website faced a challenge: how to make adoption easy, without making it thoughtless.
Our new builder tool slows adoption to the speed of trust with specific prompts for communities to customize their reporting and enforcement guidelines, and directs adopters to resources and guides from industry experts on codes of conduct.
Learn more at https://www.contributor-covenant.org/
#EthicalSource #opensource #OpenSourceCommunity #CodesOfConduct #ContributorCovenant
Congratulations go to IBM as the first official adopter of Contributor Covenant 3.0!
See more featured adopters and explore what's new with the premier code of conduct for digital communities at https://www.contributor-covenant.org
#opensource #EthicalSource #ContributorCovenant #CodesOfConduct
Join the (m)otherboard book club event this Wednesday the 30th at 8 Eastern/5 Pacific as we discuss Part 2 of We Just Build Hammers: Stories from the Past, Present, and Future of Responsible Tech.
This week we're focusing on the early days of computing, including the story of a mysterious stranger and a naive locksmith. Come for the discussion, stay for the community, leave with a clearer head. Join us!
#ethics #EthicalSource #EthicalTech
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/motherboard-book-club-we-just-build-hammers-tickets-1331042677479
ICYMI: my first book is out and available everywhere! "We Just Build Hammers: Stories from the Past, Present, and Future of Responsible Tech" brings to life the unsung heroes of responsible technology and the science fiction that inspired them.
(If the price is a barrier for you, please DM for a discount code.)
#ResponsibleTech #TheFutureIsSoft #TheHammerBoook #EthicalSource
It's here! Available now from Apress/SpringerNature, "We Just Build Hammers: Stories from the Past, Present, and Future of Responsible Tech" brings to life tales of the unsung heroes of responsible tech, and the science fiction that inspired them.
Find your copy at your favorite online bookstore, or learn more at https://thehammerbook.com
Boosts appreciated!
#TechJustice #EthicalSource #ResponsibleTech #TheFutureIsSoft #books #bookstodon
Did you know? Contributor Covenant is just one of the tools that make up our "Ethical Stack”. Learn more at https://ethicalsource.dev/what-we-do/
Apple open-sources its build system, and adopts Contributor Covenant for the community: https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/02/02/apple-moves-to-open-source-unify-swift-component-across-platforms
Co-presenting on Saturday Feb 15 at the virtual FOSDEM Open Research Devroom re TMI-WEB, an open and ethical toolkit for qualitative analysis that lets social science researchers explore the complexities of intersectional identities. Hope to see you there!
One more comment: I have very little faith left in existing organizations which steward these considerations.
The OSI
The FSF
What have they done to prevent the enshittification of the Internet, strip-mined en masse by Big Tech, as well as the explosive growth of the far-right?
Nothing. That's what.
*But Jared, that's not their job!*
OK. So whose job is it then?!
And before someone wanders into my mentions to say that technology is neutral and ethical considerations don't belong in software licenses, blah blah blah…
…well you're wrong. 😄
I'm likely going to be working on a major new installable software project later this year, and I'm very unsure I want to release it under an #OpenSource license as they are currently defined.
What I want is a combination of an #EthicalSource license such as Do No Harm (which unfortunately seems to have stalled in its development 3 years ago), combined with a #ProCraft clause which forbids using the software to promote or train LLMs.
I simply refuse to release code usable by LLM-loving Nazis.
You can learn more about what we stand for and what we work for at https://ethicalsource.dev
The Organization for Ethical Source is a scrappy nonprofit working at the intersection of tech ethics and open source. Best known as the stewards of Contributor Covenant and the creators of the Hippocratic License, OES does critical work to promote equity in the open ecosystem.
Please consider making a one-time or recurring donation on Open Collective to support our work: https://opencollective.com/ethical-source
Client Info
Server: https://mastodon.social
Version: 2025.07
Repository: https://github.com/cyevgeniy/lmst