Indeed, software is an enabling technology and is morally ambivalent just like any other tool. A machine tool can make a medical device to save lives or military device to destroy lives. At the heart of the issue is the intricate web of institutional mouse traps designed to convert low stakes issues into serious offenses. For example, a person who does does respond to a citation for expired vehicle tags is now ensured in a mechanism that turns a minor issue related to tax collection into a real criminal offense. It is up to humans to make these things so.

I brought up the Ask HN question mostly because I felt the lack of replies were a silent acknowledgement of the realities of most software endeavors. That they are not making the world a better place. Most aren't going out of their way to make it worse. Probably, it isn't even a consideration.