{"id":339283,"date":"2017-04-26T03:00:16","date_gmt":"2017-04-25T19:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1474527"},"modified":"2017-04-26T03:00:16","modified_gmt":"2017-04-25T19:00:16","slug":"a-call-to-action-for-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/a-call-to-action-for-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"A call to action for tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Eric Liu<\/span> Contributor<\/span><\/p>\n

Eric Liu is a co-founder and U.S. Executive Director at Bayes Impact<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tech is uniting against President Trump.<\/p>\n

Indeed, a\u00a0host of companies have come out in opposition to the new administration. From 127 tech firms<\/a> teaming up against Trump\u2019s immigration ban, to Google employees\u2019 massive walkout<\/a> in response to the immigration ban, to Lyft\u2019s $1 million donation to the ACLU<\/a>, tech has taken up the language of protest and spoken loud and clear.<\/p>\n

This is a historic moment. A movement of this matter and magnitude in tech is unprecedented. As a founder of Bayes Impact, a nonprofit at the intersection of tech and social services, I\u2019m energized by the prospect of uniting with technologists across the industry to fight for the rights and well-being of Americans.<\/p>\n

However, as the tech community\u2019s voice grows louder, it must be strategic in how it directs its actions \u2014 otherwise, tech runs a very real risk of strengthening a polarizing elitist message that will further divide us from our fellow citizens.<\/p>\n

The tech industry was born out of a commitment \u2014 a promise \u2014 to \u201cmake the world a better place.\u201d However, there\u2019s a common perception that tech has not made good on that promise. Rather, tech is viewed as elitist, exclusive, self-interested and out of touch, as manifested by the Google bus protests<\/a> and the inflammatory open letter<\/a> a tech entrepreneur addressed to San Francisco city officials condemning the city\u2019s homeless.<\/p>\n

As tech takes a political stand, we must be wary of furthering the conception that we are profiteers, not world changers; that we are calling for equality while outearning and displacing those who need it most; that we are building tools to benefit the privileged, not the underserved.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we can\u2019t stop at protest. Tech can\u2019t simply stand with Americans \u2014 it needs to work for<\/em> them. We have to start building things with the average American in mind. We need to empathize with and uplift our nation\u2019s disenfranchised. We must use our privilege \u2014 our power, our knowledge and our community \u2014 to fulfill our original pledge.<\/p>\n

And we need to act now. In just a few short weeks, Americans\u2019 essential rights have come under attack and the new administration has put millions of people at risk of losing critical social services. It has become clear that Americans cannot rely on government for adequate healthcare, stable employment, reliable housing or quality education.<\/p>\n

In a time when such rights and services are becoming more uncertain by the day, tech needs to take action. By leveraging the power and scale of our industry to build a new paradigm of social services \u2014 one that exists outside of government and eludes the whims of politicians \u2014 we can transform the social sphere to reach more people in a more impactful way than ever before.<\/p>\n

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Tech can\u2019t simply stand with Americans \u2014 it needs to work for them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Technologists are already heeding the call. So how can you get involved? Here are a few suggestions to get you started:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n