The Unintended Consequences of Technology Politics

Since becoming CEO of SIM, I read the news through the lens of technology. I often think about which of our members might have been part of the development of a new product or system making news, or whether a change in policy will impact the technology executives who lead our organization. Sometimes it’s just a fun exercise, but other times it really hits home for me how incredibly valuable SIM’s members, their employers, and their customers are in the major events of the day. Technology is so completely interwoven into every aspect of our lives that is it virtually inescapable.

The world’s quick and nearly unanimous reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in some complex technology decisions for major corporations, and some unintended consequences, as well. Actions such as moving a football tournament out of Russia or cutting off their streaming movies are symbolic as much as impactful, but they make a statement of support for the people of Ukraine. On the other hand, cutting off sales of airplanes and computers, access to international shipping, or purchases of oil and gas hit the economic heart of the country and her people.

Few would disagree with the international resolve to isolate a country that is waging a horrific war against its neighbor. But what happens when technology companies make similar decisions? Can we isolate technology in this day and age?

TikTok, the popular short-video app based in China, has helped make the invasion of Ukraine the first war to be streamed on social media. For the past two weeks, “Anonymous” has been the world’s top journalist, showing all of us what is happening on the ground in real time and allowing Russian dissidents to observe what their government won’t allow them to see otherwise.

Now Russia has passed a law making it illegal to spread “fake news,” and of course the government gets to decide what is real and what is not. Many western news outlets have suspended their operations rather than risk the imprisonment of their reporters and producers. Then TikTok announced it was blocking all posts from Russia, saying they needed to “review the safety implications” of the law.

The unintended consequence of this action is that Russians can no longer post footage of the protests and arrests happening in their own country, or share footage of the horrors happening in Ukraine.

Similarly, most American credit card companies have suspended operations in Russia, but it turns out that technology policy decision may have negative consequences for the wrong people. Russian banks use their own payment system and don’t depend on foreign systems, so transactions internal to the country are not affected. So, who is impacted? Not the political leaders or the oligarchs, as was probably intended. Likely it will be western journalists trying to share truthful information, Russians trying to withdraw cash from ATMs in order to leave the country, and the foreign customers of Russian businesses. Another unintended consequence of a technology-related policy decision.

I don’t pretend to have answers here, but I think these examples really point to the complexity of our economically integrated, intimately connected world. I hope when these kinds of major policy decisions are being made at these global companies, the chief technology officer is at the table, helping CEOs and others spool out all the consequences of each action. You cannot separate technology from the rest of the company or organization, technology doesn’t just support the other functions of a company, it is integral to every decision. Even well-meaning actions aimed at dictators and oligarchs can have real, painful, and even fatal implications for those who are trying to stand up to ruthless authority, as well as those who are trying to flee it.

I join with millions around the globe offering our prayers for the brave people of Ukraine.