THIS IS WHY THE TECH SECTOR HAS A BURGEONING TRUST PROBLEM: GoFundMe, Officer Wilson, Daniel Holtzclaw, And The Myth Of ‘Neutral’ Technology Platforms.

Technology companies are fond of presenting themselves as neutral, and GoFundMe, the crowdfunding website that lets users raise money for almost anything, is no exception.

Last month, amid intense pressure to remove a campaign raising money for Darren Wilson — the Ferguson, Missouri, police officer who killed Mike Brown — GoFundMe braved boycott efforts, online petitions and days of social-media fury while shielding itself in a cloak of don’t-shoot-the-messenger detachment.

“GoFundMe is a neutral technology platform,” the company maintained.

It’s an understandable stance, but it’s not the whole story. Earlier this week, when a campaign for another police officer began attracting attention, GoFundMe promptly yanked it down. And it wasn’t because the campaign violated its terms of service; it was because it apparently violated its sense of decency.

I’m not sure that’s quite the correct phrase. Here’s more on Silicon Valley’s trust problem.