Technology Unions: How Technology Employees Can Advocate for Internet Freedom, Privacy, Intellectual Property Reform, and the Greater Good
98 J .Pat. & Trademark Off. Soc'y 821 (2016)
35 Pages Posted: 27 Oct 2017
Date Written: 2016
Abstract
The acute demand for programming, engineering, and scientific talent has put highly skilled and talented workers at Internet and technology behemoths — e.g., the Apples, Facebooks, and Googles of the world — in a unique position to promote change within their companies that would improve society. Such employees should band together to form technology unions in order to advocate for more responsible and enlightened policies by their employers on issues such as privacy, Internet freedom, and the commons and to encourage their employers to challenge competitors and governments that violate such policies. Given that external factors such as civil society and government have been ineffective in pressuring technology giants towards reform, it is time to generate pressure internally.
Keywords: Technology, Unions, Employee, Internet, Privacy, Intellectual Property, Commons
JEL Classification: L00, K31
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation