Ethics in Software Engineering

30 Nov 2017

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Introduction

This is a commentary on this article. Now, in a situation like this, is the software engineer at fault? I’ll compare this to the Nuremberg trials, where Nazi soldiers were tried for crimes they committed in the holocaust and WWII.

“I was just following orders”

Like the Nazi Soldiers, software engineers have somewhat of an obligation to the higher authority that employs them. Although the soldiers had much more pressure and obligation to follow what they were being told, the court has NEVER accepted the “I was just following orders” argument as an excuse. Any sane person should know what they’re doing and you are ultimately responsible for your own actions. In the case of the software engineer, if you purposefully do something unethical, like program a quiz that will falsely always give you a single answer as the linked article does; you are responsible for your actions and you must accept the consequences.

Responsibility

I think that if you are a software engineer, and you get an order to do something that may be unethical, asking senior leadership for guidance is the first part, but if that fails, I would refuse to do the project. The consequences of that are most likely losing your job, or at least promotion opportunities. But, the weight that the author has to bear is worse, when your work causes the death of another, or some unintended complication that you did not understand prior actually doing the project. In the end, you are responsible for your actions, and you have a moral obligation on top of your work obligations. If you create software and it is used for good, but goes into the wrong hands and causes harm, that ultimately is not you’re fault. Many may feel like they are at fault for creating the harm, but think of all the good the software has done, because responsibility goes both ways; you take ownership if things go right, and you take the same ownership when they go wrong.

Conclusion

In the end, an individual is responsible for their own actions and that means they should be ready to bear the consequences. I read a lot of Marcus Aurelius and love the stoic philosophy. My favorite Marcus Aurelius quote is the epitome of how I wish to live life: “If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it. Easier said than done, but staying vigilant in what you do is important.