1.
ETHICS
in software development
Jane Prusakova
@jprusakova

2.
Professional Code of Conduct
• What is right and proper?
• Questions of morality
• What should always or never
be done?

3.
Jeff Atwood, “Coding Horror”

4.
Jeff Atwood, “Coding Horror”

5.
Moral questions are hard
• IT is truly global
• Effects and results of a technology can occur far away and a long time
after its development
• Unintentional consequences can be significant

6.
P:
«The culture of any organization
is shaped by the worst behavior
the leader is willing to tolerate.»
Gruenert and Whitaker

7.
Technology and its consequences
• Dispensing drugs
• Testing automobiles
• Emissions
• Working brakes
• Transforming users and their data into product

8.
Technology and its consequences
• Dispensing drugs
• Testing automobiles
• Emissions
• Working brakes
• Transforming users and their data into product

9.
Technology and its consequences

10.
Ethical concerns
• Evil software
• software that is likely to do harm
• Data
• what to keep, what to publish, how to use
• Bugs
• is it OK to not fix a bug or vulnerability
• Quality
• is it acceptable to deliver poor or untested product

11.
Software and hardware bugs
• What is the harm?
• Who was harmed,
if anyone?
• What is the ethical
course of actions?

12.
Picking into private matters
- Devices listen for specific word.
- Record audio and send out.
• Can this technology be trusted?
• What is the harm, if any?

13.
Ethics of software products
• Does software add to the good of the people?
• Is there “evil” software?
• Who is responsible for software misuse leading
to harm?
• Should we, developers, be concerned about improper use?
• Is it OK for software to extend privileges to
some groups over others?
• Programmers have the power to decide who is “worthy”

14.
Video jail visitation
- Leads to bans on in-person visits
- Limits accessibility of visitation
Encrypted communication makes
It harder for authorities to detect
Illegal and terrorist activities
Allows to target real-life harm to people.
Alt-right uses social networking sites
to spread their message.
Fake news
Advertising
Disseminates false information
for financial or political gain

15.
Software development industry
ethics
• Is where a trade off between productivity and
diversity and inclusion?
• Is it OK to fail?
• Is it ethical to require a “death march” from the
team?
• Is it acceptable to keep a high-performing
person who is a bully?

16.
What ethical dilemmas
are you facing?

17.
ETHICS
in software development
Jane Prusakova
@jprusakova