Code is not some neutral force for social good

An extremely well-written and insightful analysis piece in The Cut has this buried lede:

Simply put, the law is not some neutral force for social good.

I highly recommend reading the whole thing.

In brief, if you think of coding machines in the same way that the laws are a means of coding human behavior, then “neutral force” arguments become more obviously specious.

We follow the codes written for right/wrong behavior, machines follow codes written for right/wrong operation. In both cases, the political fight over definitions of right/wrong is inherent to the system.

It’s also a good explanation why the Department of Justice was created by President Grant after Civil War as a means to fight the KKK. Think of it like code-review for safety at the federal level.

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