UMKC Anchor 308 - Professional Ethics

During the teleconference about the shuttle launch, after a short break, a Morton Thiokol executive told Roger Boisjoly: "Fortune favors the bold." "You don't understand how much is riding on this launch." "Take off your engineering hat and put on your management hat." "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." "Risk is our business."

"Take off your engineering hat and put on your management hat."

One of the case studies involved a website in which the interface was intentionally confusing, so that many users would be tricked into selecting a more expensive option, and important disclaimers were hard to read. This is an example of: 'Dark user experience' designs which violate user autonomy in order to increase revenue An inline test to be sure the company doesn't sell its products to stupid people Clever and effective website design Accessibility management, in which non-disabled users are given a simulated experience so they can better understand the experience of users with handicaps Developing revenue sources in non-traditional ways

'Dark user experience' designs which violate user autonomy in order to increase revenue

Why was public interest in the Challenger launch so high? President Reagan had tried to cancel the shuttle program and been overruled by Congress The launch was controversial because of the pollution a launch causes The launch contained a Mars probe Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, was going to be on board President Reagan had publicly expressed frustration at the multiple delays to the launch

Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, was going to be on board

The Challenger explosion was caused by: O-rings on the rocket booster failing because they overheated Malfunction of the main engine fuel systems O-rings on the rocket booster failing to seal because they were cold and inflexible Astronaut error during the launch sequence Rocket boosters detaching prematurely

O-rings on the rocket booster failing to seal because they were cold and inflexible

The ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Practice says that whistleblowing should be done: Only after careful consideration, and attempts to resolve the problem within the system have failed Only if it can be done anonymously Only if multiple lives are stake Only after careful consideration of the likely impact on company profitability Anytime there is a reasonable chance it will help

Only after careful consideration, and attempts to resolve the problem within the system have failed

What is the difference between the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and the ACM/IEEE-CS Code of Ethics for Software Engineers? None; they are different names for the same document The ACM/IEEE-CS Code for Software Engineers emphasizes responsibility to the company or employer; the ACM Code places the public welfare as its highest concern. While the ACM Code allows whistleblowing in limited situations, the ACM/IEEE-CS Code for Software Engineers always prohibits it. The ACM Code of Ethics is a set of recommendations, while the ACM/IEEE-CS Code of Ethics for Software Engineers is legally binding. The ACM/IEEE-CS Code for Software Engineers focuses specifically on ethical issues in software development; the ACM Code of Ethics is broader and applies to computing more generally.

The ACM/IEEE-CS Code for Software Engineers focuses specifically on ethical issues in software development; the ACM Code of Ethics is broader and applies to computing more generally.

The ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Practice is: A statement of the legally-binding obligations on ACM members An example of how a single ethical model can be applied to many situations A statement of the legally-binding obligations of all computing professionals A comprehensive guide of how to handle any ethically-questionable situation The consensus of the profession, which still requires judgment and consideration to apply

The consensus of the profession, which still requires judgment and consideration to apply

What is the highest responsibility faced by the computing professional? The public good, always The employer's well-being as a public enterprise The professional's knowledge and skill level, which should be always improving. The welfare of the profession as a whole The public good, tempered by the well-being of the company and client

The public good, always

One of the case studies involved releasing an "anti-worm" to combat the effects of another worm. In this case, there were multiple violations of the ACM Code of Ethics. One of the violations was that the developer: Wrote the program code using an obsolete programming language Demanded payment for use of his anti-worm Took steps to hide the origin of the anti-worm so it could not be traced back to him Did not obtain a license from Microsoft before releasing a Windows program

Took steps to hide the origin of the anti-worm so it could not be traced back to him

Which of these is NOT a requirement for a fully mature profession? Training program to standards set by the profession Codified body of knowledge Professional society, with membership restricted to members of that profession Training to the doctoral level for all professionals Code of ethics and professional conduct

Training to the doctoral level for all professionals

The ACM Code of Ethics says that a rule may be unethical if it causes harm or lacks moral foundation. In this case, the computing professional is to: Try to change the rule by working within established procedures if possible; whistleblowing should only be done after careful consideration Follow it anyway; those making the rules know what they're doing. Try to change the rule by working within established procedures; whistleblowing is never justified. Whistleblow immediately, so media and regulatory pressure can force change

Try to change the rule by working within established procedures if possible; whistleblowing should only be done after careful consideration

The Kansas City Hyatt Regency skywalk collapsed because of a design change that doubled the load on a support rod people were dancing on the skywalk despite signs warning them not to a design change that reduced the load on a key support by half faulty welds because of miscommunication between construction crews faulty threads on a support rod, resulting in the nut sliding down the rod

a design change that doubled the load on a support rod

The engineer of record for the Hyatt Regency skywalk affixed his seal to the design documents: After verifying that all changes had been checked; crucially, the design changes to the walkway were not flagged After verifying that the structural engineer and technician had personally double-checked all calculations for all aspects of construction Once the structural engineer said he was satisfied with the progress to date After personally verifying all calculations After the structural engineer performed spot-checks on portions of the design documents

after the structural engineer performed spot-checks on portions of the design documents

One of the case studies involved a team leader who was abusive toward members of his team. The manager in that case failed by: Allowing the abusive behavior to continue, telling one team member to "get over it" when she complained Not firing the nonperforming team members Discussing the team leader's abuse behavior in a magazine interview, thus violating his privacy Placing the team leader on disciplinary suspension without due process Not supporting the team leader's attempts to push his team toward excellence

allowing the abusive behavior to continue, telling one team member to "get over it" when she complained

If a specific situation is not covered by a professional code of ethics: One must not carry out that action, as anything not specifically allowed is prohibited One may be confident there are no ethical concerns One may consult with others; this is the ONLY situation in which such consultation is allowed One can go ahead, as anything not specifically prohibited is, by definition, ethical Ethical judgment must still be applied

ethical judgment must still be applied

One of the case studies involved a company producing a web filter to block pornography. It was found that activist groups were manipulating the software's machine learning to block access to politically controversial (but fully legal and non-pornographic) websites. The company in that case violated the ACM Code by: failing to consider how their software could be misused suing the activist groups for defamation facilitating censorship by writing blocking softare at all publicizing the weakness in their software, thus inviting further misuse

failing to consider how their software could be misused

The night before the Challenger launch, Morton Thiokol engineers held a teleconference with NASA about whether to launch. Roger Boisjoly argued that: The presence of Christa McAuliffe made the risks worth it Launch would be safe as long as temperatures were above freezing Launch would be safe as long as temperatures were below 80 degrees Launch should not proceed unless the temperature was at least 53 degrees The shuttle should be checked again to verify correct functioning

launch should not proceed unless the temperature was at least 53 degrees

One characteristic of a mature profession is the recognition and acceptance of fiduciary responsibility. This is the responsibility to: only use up-to-date tools and methods guiding decisions by profitability carry financial responsibility for the project until completion make decisions in the best interest of the client obtain ongoing education throughout one's career

make decisions in the best interest of the client

According to Michael McFarland, a team of engineers: Should be held to a lower standard of moral responsibility than its individual members Should always appoint a member to serve as ethical watchdog Should be held to a higher standard of moral responsibility than its individual members Should be held to exactly the same standard of moral responsibility as its individual members Should only be held morally responsible for things covered in their job descriptions or team charter

should be held to a higher standard of moral responsibility than its individual members

The most recent revision of the ACM Code of Ethics added a specific responsibility that earlier versions did not have. A responsibility was added: to not use 'bootleg' software to continue developing knowledge and skills throughout one's career for system administrators to not read users' personal emails to consider how technology can be misused and mitigate those potential harms where possible to avoid conflicts of interest

to consider how technology can be misused and mitigate those potential harms where possible