Extraction — Operational test: Unpaid or unacknowledged labor is required to keep the system functioning.
Operational test "Unpaid or unacknowledged labor is required to keep the system functioning." for Extraction in the Failure modes (why Ethotechnics exists) glossary category.
Operational test
Unpaid or unacknowledged labor is required to keep the system functioning.
Use this test to validate operational readiness.
Pair this test with the minimum evidence criteria to capture both qualitative and quantitative signals.
- Evidence artifact: Artifact documenting how Extraction is expected, enforced, or governed.
- Behavior signal: Observed behavior showing Extraction in practice during real use or drills.
- Metric signal: Metric tracked to monitor Extraction performance over time.
When a system pulls value—data, attention, labor, or social capital—without returning care, consent, or repair. Extraction hides true costs through externalization and steep burden gradients , hollowing trust.
B. Failure modes (why Ethotechnics exists). Common patterns where responsibility dissolves and harm accelerates.
Frames value capture as a moral risk, not just an economic one.