engineers don't set policy
Re:Join the U.S. Digital Service
by technologia on Tuesday February 03, 2015 @12:13AM
(#8988963)
Thats actually incorrect, while we don't set policy up on high, the results of our work and projects we initiate push policymakers to set those policies. JackFr is right, engineers inform and that holds a lot of weight beyond what you might think.
Lessig said this once: Code is Law.
http://harvardmagazine.com/2000/01/code-is-law-html
See also: http://codev2.cc
Granted, he was talking about how the private sector can fill in where government doesn't go. Yet even on the inside there are choices to be made and influence to be exerted.
someone should let a few of the thousands of developers who cooperated in building the surveillance state know about that i suppose
Someone should. Which is why I commented.
You'd be surprised how much of a difference a single person, engineer or not, can make on the inside, with enough persistence and vision.
If you care about policy, you put in the time, and you know what you're talking about -- you'll make your mark.
No, they don't set policy. But they inform it.
Re:Join the U.S. Digital Service
by Mvandenbergh on Tuesday February 03, 2015 @06:59AM
(#8989868)
Real policy-makers ship.
"You can do a hell of a lot more damage in the system than out of it." - "Stevo", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi2y9-Mxq-0
But seriously, government is what we make of it. We can sit here as sheep and accept the way that we're governed or we can take the leap and try to change it by joining it.
I can't promise that it will ever get better if you sign up to help but I can promise that it won't if you don't.