Other Software > Developer's Corner
Ethics in Technology
wraith808:
So, I've never personally been confronted with this, and I'm glad, because the reality of it is I sadly don't think I know what I'd do if I was.
From the AVG bit, to the Microsoft Privacy concerns, to Volkswagon's dodge around emissions, it's the developers and engineers that are the first (or is that last) line of defense against companies using technology for purposes that are against the public good.
In particular, on Volkswagon's dodge, it appears that the implementation had to be spot on in order to get away with it for this long:
Michigan Radio's Tracy Samilton reports for our Newscast unit:
"The German automaker will have to recall about 482,000 Audi and Volkswagen cars with 4-cylinder turbo diesel engines. The issue affects 2009 through 2015 model years.
"The cars have devices that turn emissions controls on during tests and off during normal driving.
"The deception is a serious violation of the Clean Air Act, for which CEO Martin Winterkorn says he is personally deeply sorry, and he promises the company will do whatever is necessary to reverse the damage this has caused. The company faces potentially billions in fines and other costs."
On Friday, the EPA and the California Air Resources Board said that a "defeat device" had allowed diesel Jettas, Beetles and other cars to "emit up to 40 times more pollution" than allowed under U.S. standards.
Saying that Volkswagen has ordered an external investigation of the software exploit that skirted U.S. emissions tests, Winterkorn stated, "We do not and will not tolerate violations of any kind of our internal rules or of the law."
--- End quote ---
I never took an ethics class for software engineers- it wasn't required when I was in school. I don't know if it is, and if they cover this now. And are there other ramifications, in particular this doesn't sound good for anyone involved:
"Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean air standards is illegal and a threat to public health," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
--- End quote ---
I thought this would make good food for discussion from a higher level (no politics in this, please to keep it above ground).
Personally, I'm not sure that I could do what I would want to- i.e. tell them to stuff it and just walk out. I support a pretty substantial family, and I'm the only one really working. I would hope that what I would do is bide my time until I found something else and jump ship. I would hope that I couldn't continue to work for such a company. But hope is the truthful word, if I look at it honestly.
Thoughts?
JavaJones:
I'm not quite sure what I'd do either, but I will say this is exactly why we need protection for whistle-blowers. Not just legal protection but perhaps even basic financial assistance or job assurance for *confirmed* reports of corporate illegal activities.
- Oshyan
anandcoral:
"Ethics in Technology" or in any other profession for the matter, do not exist in front of "Profit Making"
Look at Doctors, they forget that they should treat a "patient" no matter how poor he/she is.
The Charted Account help to dodge the Govt. laws to save tax.
And it is better not to speak about the Lawyers.
Same way Engineers of IT, Electrical, Civil etc. are used by their Bosses to make profit and a big one. They just work as servant to help some one make profit and in turn earn their livelihood, all over the world.
When one is caught, some clean up is done and then everything is back to one. Same will happen to VW and we will forget about it in few years.
Regards,
Anand
MilesAhead:
It sounds like this system automated what we used to do manually when emissions tests first became part of the Safety Inspection(at least in Massachusetts anyway.) If set to pass the emissions test even new cars would run like crap. So when a customer came in for a safety inspection, we did the safety part, checking front end components, floorboards, windshield etc.. then we would hook up the emissions tester(a diagnostic scope with a probe that went up the tailpipe.)
We would lean out the carburetor, run the emissions test, pass the car and put the sticker on. Then enrich the mixture to stop the engine from stumbling. In addition to the sticker charge we charged the customer for a carburetor adjustment. Eventually most cars switched over to fuel injection. But perhaps the same problem persists. The car just won't run right adjusted that lean.
The insanity in Florida was that cars would wait in line at emissions inspection stations with their engines running to get tested. Finally somebody in government in Florida saw the light and just cancelled the emissions tests altogether. There was more pollution produced by cars queued up for the test than saved by enforcing the standards. Also it was a real drag sitting in line breathing exhaust fumes for an hour every year.
wraith808:
"Ethics in Technology" or in any other profession for the matter, do not exist in front of "Profit Making"
Look at Doctors, they forget that they should treat a "patient" no matter how poor he/she is.
The Charted Account help to dodge the Govt. laws to save tax.
And it is better not to speak about the Lawyers.
Same way Engineers of IT, Electrical, Civil etc. are used by their Bosses to make profit and a big one. They just work as servant to help some one make profit and in turn earn their livelihood, all over the world.
When one is caught, some clean up is done and then everything is back to one. Same will happen to VW and we will forget about it in few years.
Regards,
Anand
-anandcoral (September 22, 2015, 03:26 AM)
--- End quote ---
You seem to be talking about from a business level. What you have written is sadly a given. I'm talking about from a personal level. As developers, what is our responsibility to the personal good? And what happens when that conflicts with our personal livelihood. That's a stickier question- but that puts it directly on personal responsibility, ethics, and morals.
If your boss came to you and said the company has decided to move in a direction that compromises user privacy, safety, etc- and you need to start designing and coding this now, what would you do? Because these aren't put in place in a vacuum. Someone programmed the Microsoft data collection technologies. Someone coded and engineered the VW cheats. There is a real team of individuals behind each of these "technological innovations". What if you became one of these faceless individuals? And what kind of individual culpability will come out of these investigations? It could be you on the line at some point. And the protections that cover the companies with their teams of lawyers will most likely not apply to you- the scapegoat.
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