1. Simon Thompson 22 February 2018
Ethics

4. Why ethics?
Avoiding harm to ourselves, our organisation, our profession and society in general … … self-interest: our reputation … well-being of our organisation or profession … basis in society itself: standards by which we’re able to live and work together.

5. Ethics – making choices
Making a choice between competing alternatives …

6. Ethics – making choices
Making a choice between competing alternatives … … based on ethical principles.

7. Ethics – making choices
Making a choice between competing alternatives … … based on ethical principles. Right or wrong?

8. Ethics – making choices
Making a choice between competing alternatives … … based on ethical principles. Right or wrong? Right or right?

10. Ethics – making defensible choices
Making a defensible choice between competing alternatives … … based on ethical principles. Right or wrong? Right or right?

11. Toolkit
Legal \ ethical Guidelines Informal Formal Ethical principles Rights and duties Consequentialism

12. Ethical \ legal
Legal
Illegal
Ethical
Unethical

13. Legal Illegal Ethical Unethical
Ethical \ legal
Legal
Illegal
Ethical
Buying a legitimate copy of a book.
“Whistleblowing”
Unethical
Getting a pirate PDF of a book in a country without copyright laws.
Getting a pirate PDF copy of a book in this country.

14. The law and computing
How about the examples?

15. informal guidelines

16. Is there something you would prefer to keep quiet?
Is someone saying “don’t tell …”?

17. Is there something you would prefer to keep quiet?
Is someone saying “don’t tell …”? Would you tell your mum? What if she found out?

18. Is there something you would prefer to keep quiet?
Is someone saying “don’t tell …”? Would you tell your mum? What if she found out? What if it was on twitter, facebook, TV … ?

19. Is there something you would prefer to keep quiet?
Is someone saying “don’t tell …”? Would you tell your mum? What if she found out? What if it was on twitter, facebook, TV … ? Could you use it to market your company? yourself?

20. Does it “smell bad”?
Is there something that you can’t quite pin down, but which makes you uncomfortable?

21. Informal guidelines
OK for others to know? Bad smell?

22. formal guidelines

23. Formal guidelines
The Golden Rule Are you treating others in a way you’d like to be treated?

24. Formal guidelines
The Golden Rule Are you treating others in a way you’d like to be treated? Company codes of conduct IBM

28. Formal guidelines
The Golden Rule Are you treating others in a way you’d like to be treated? Company codes of conduct IBM Professional codes of conduct. British Computer Society, IET, ACM, IEEE, …

29. BCS Code of Conduct
The public interest Professional competence and integrity Duty to relevant authority Duty to the profession

30. ethical Principles

31. Ethical principles
The philosophical basis of the practical rules and requirements in the professional and company codes of conduct. Some of the reasons behind our unease in the “smell test” and the “does your mum know?” test.

32. Software systems: rely / guarantee conditions
Putting together software components. The pink component will guarantee to do its job … … if (and only if) it can rely on the rest of the system behaving as it should.

33. Rights and duties
Rights: what we can expect from society. The right to know The right to privacy The right to property …

34. Rights and duties
Rights: what we can expect from society. The right to know The right to privacy The right to property … Duties: what we owe to society. To act with integrity To tell the truth To do justice

35. Open Source software A will provide software that is fit for purpose
A can expect that users will contribute back
B will expect that A provides quality software
B will contribute back their developments

36. A consequence of this approach
Who are the stakeholders in these scenarios?

37. consequentialism

38. Consequentialism
Focus on the results, outcomes or consequences of an action. Minimize the actual or potential harm that results. Maximise the greater good.

39. Three faces of consequentialism
Egotism: focus on the effects on you … … or your company.

40. Three faces of consequentialism
Egotism: focus on the effects on you … … or your company. Utilitarianism: focus on the effects on everyone, including yourself … … and aim to assess the effect overall.

41. Three faces of consequentialism
Egotism: focus on the effects on you … … or your company. Utilitarianism: focus on the effects on everyone, including yourself … … and aim to assess the effect overall. Altruism: focus on the effects on everyone else … … even at cost to you.

42. Egotistical / utilitarian / altruistic
Do the approaches give different results?

43. Summing up
Ethical decisions part of life / professional life. Toolkit Informal guidelines: “smell”, “mum” tests. Formal guidelines: codes of practice (BCS, IBM) Rights and duties Consequentialism: minimising harm. Egotism / utilitarianism / altruism

44. CASE STUDY 1

45. Honeypot
You work for a company that develops websites. The company has gained a contract from a law-enforcement agency to develop several websites. You are asked by your boss to develop a website that will act as a “honeypot” for people interested in extreme violence. The aim of this is to gather information about individuals who might be interested in this sort of material or activity. Your work will help the agency in this work.

46. Honeypot
You work for a company that develops websites. The company has gained a contract from a law-enforcement agency to develop several websites. You are asked by your boss to develop a website that will act as a “honeypot” for people interested in religious terrorism. The aim of this is to gather information about individuals who might be interested in this sort of material or activity. Your work will help the agency in this work.

47. Honeypot
You work for a company that develops websites. The company has gained a contract from a law-enforcement agency to develop several websites. You are asked by your boss to develop a website that will act as a “honeypot” for people interested in left-wing politics. The aim of this is to gather information about individuals who might be interested in this sort of material or activity. Your work will help the agency in this work.

48. Honeypot
You work for a company that develops websites. The company has gained a contract from a law-enforcement agency to develop several websites. You are asked by your boss to develop a website that will act as a “honeypot” for people interested in right-wing politics. The aim of this is to gather information about individuals who might be interested in this sort of material or activity. Your work will help the agency in this work.

49. Honeypot
You work for a company that develops websites. The company has gained a contract from a law-enforcement agency to develop several websites. You are asked by your boss to develop a website that will act as a “honeypot” for people interested in environmental politics. The aim of this is to gather information about individuals who might be interested in this sort of material or activity. Your work will help the agency in this work.

50. Honeypot
You work for a company that develops websites. The company has gained a contract from a law-enforcement agency to develop several websites. You are asked by your boss to develop a website that will act as a “honeypot” for people interested in hacktivism. The aim of this is to gather information about individuals who might be interested in this sort of material or activity. Your work will help the agency in this work.

51. CASE STUDY 2

52. Boss
You work for a large corporate organisation that has a strict “no facebook at work” policy. Your colleague Robert, who reports to you, has already received a warning about facebook use. You are within a fortnight of a major release of software, and Robert is completing a key part of this. You also discover that he’s still using facebook at work. Company policy says that he should be suspended immediately.

53. Boss
You work for a large corporate organisation that has a strict “no porn at work” policy. Your colleague Robert, who reports to you, has already received a warning about viewing porn at work. You are within a fortnight of a major release of software, and Robert is completing a key part of this. You also discover that he’s still viewing porn at work. Company policy says that he should be suspended immediately.

54. CASE STUDY 3

55. Employee
You work for a large corporate organisation as a software developer. You are working on a large software project, and your part is falling behind. In despair you google for help, and discover that you can find a similar project on github. Copying and modifying this will get your part of the project back on track.

56. Employee
You work for a large corporate organisation as a software developer. You are working on a large commercial software project, and your part is falling behind. In despair you google for help, and discover that you can find a similar project on github. Copying and modifying this will get your part of the project back on track.

57. Employee
You work for a large corporate organisation as a software developer. You are working on a large open source software project, and your part is falling behind. In despair you google for help, and discover that you can find a similar project on github. Copying and modifying this will get your part of the project back on track.

58. CASE STUDY 4

59. Borrowed Hardware
Your company is developing a product, and needs to incorporate some third-party software. Companies A and B supply this, and A has kindly loaned you a server to test their software. Company B hasn’t lent you a machine, and you have a choice: using your meagre budget, rent a server to test B’s software, or use the loaned machine.

60. CASE STUDY 5

61. Incapacitated Administrator
One of your system admins has a major skiing accident, putting him completely out of action for a month with a serious head injury, and off work for another three months. He uses his account for work and personal business. What to do?

62. CASE STUDY 6

63. “Fingering”
One of your students uses the finger command to stalk his ex-girlfriend, with scripts he finds out where she is logged on every minute, and also sees her status etc. This only comes to light because the scripts are loading the machines heavily.

64. Irwin McGraw-Hill, 1996. ISBN 0-07-034090-0 Out of print.
Cambridge, 2008.
ISBN