Ethics for the
Information Age
Chapter 9 – Professional Ethics
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Topics
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Introduction
Code of Ethics
Analysis of the Code
Virtue Ethics
– Strengths of Virtue Ethics
– Weakness of Virtue Ethics
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Whistle Blowing
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Introduction
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Professions
– Require high level of education and
experience
– Moral choices can have wide impact
on society
Whistle blowing
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Software Engineering
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No requirements for certification,
licensing or education
Society is dependent on quality of
work
Code of ethics can help guide
practitioners
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Code of Ethics
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Adopted by ACM and IEEE
Based on eight general principles
Each principle is defined by clauses
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 1: Public
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Software engineers shall act
consistently with the public interest
1.03 Approve software that does not
diminish quality of life or privacy or
harms the environment
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 1: Public
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1.04 Disclose to appropriate persons
actual or potential dangers associated
with software
1.07 Consider issues of physical
disabilities, economic disadvantage
and other factors that can diminish
access to the benefits of the software
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 2: Client and
Employer
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2.01 Be honest about limitations in
education or experience
2.02 Not knowingly use software that
was obtained unethically or illegally
2.05 Maintain confidentiality of client's
information
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 2: Client and
Employer
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2.06 Report issues of concern to the
client
2.08 Accept no outside work
detrimental to their primary employer
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 3: Product
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3.01 Insure that client is aware of
tradeoffs in design and scheduling
3.03 Identify, define and address
ethical, economic, cultural, legal and
environmental issues related to the
project
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 3: Product
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3.09 Ensure realistic estimates of
cost, scheduling, personnel, quality
and outcomes
3.10 Ensure adequate testing,
debugging and review of products
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 4: Judgment
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4.01 Temper technical judgments with
social values
4.02 Maintain professional objectivity
in evaluations of software
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 4: Judgment
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4.04 Maintain ethical financial
practices
4.05 Disclose conflicts of interest that
can not be avoided
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 5: Management
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5.01 Ensure good management,
including risk management
5.12 Not punish anyone for raising
ethical concerns
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 6: Profession
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6.01 Help develop an organizational
environment favorable to acting
ethically
6.05 Not promote self interest over the
profession, client or employer
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 6: Profession
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6.07 Accurately state the
characteristics of the software
6.08 Take responsibility for detecting,
reporting and correcting errors in
software or documentation
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 7: Colleagues
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7.03 Credit fully the work of others
7.04 Review others' work objectively
and fairly
7.05 Give a fair hearing to colleague's
opinions, concerns or complaints
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 8: Self
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8.02 Further your ability to create
good software
8.03 Improve your documentation
skills
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Principle 8: Self
8.07 Not give unfair treatment to
anyone
 8.08 Not influence others to act
unethically

William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Analysis of the Code
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Preamble
– States that there is no mechanical
process
– Even two people using the same
philosophy can reach different
conclusions
– The code is a guide, not the law
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Virtue Ethics
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Aristotle distinguishes between
intellectual and moral virtues
Intellectual virtues are learned
Moral virtues come through repetition
of actions
Deriving pleasure from a virtuous act
shows that you have acquired that
virtue
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Strengths of Virtue Ethics
Provides motivation for good
behavior
 Utilitarian and Kantian may do the
right thing through cold, analytical
reasoning
 Virtue ethics stress the importance
of those good actions
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William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Strengths of Virtue Ethics
Kant, utilitarianism and social
contract require us to treat all
people as equals
 These moral evaluations can be
difficult to accept

William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Strengths of Virtue Ethics
Virtue ethics reject the notion that
every act must produce the
maximum benefit for people
overall
 Some virtues allow partiality
towards friends and family
 Others extend equally to all
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William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Weakness of Virtue Ethics
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Can be difficult to determine the right
course of action
In the case of three fires, one near a
wealthy mountain resort, one near a
poor town of 10,000 and one near a
middle class suburb
If we can only extinguish two, which
will they be?
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Virtue Ethics Complements
Other Theories
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Makes it possible to consider rationale
as well as benefit or harm of actions
In the problem of moral luck, bad
things can happen from well
intentioned actions
Complementation takes into account
intent
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Alternative List of
Fundamental Principles
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Be impartial
Disclose information that others ought
to know
Respect the rights of others
Treat others justly
Take responsibility for your own
actions and inactions
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Alternative List of
Fundamental Principles
Take responsibility for the actions
of those you supervise
 Maintain your integrity
 Continually improve your abilities
 Share your knowledge, expertise
and values
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William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Whistle Blowing

“Someone who breaks ranks with an
organization in order to make an
unauthorized disclosure of information
about a harmful situation after
attempts to report the concerns
through authorized organizational
channels have been ignored or
rebuffed.”
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Whistleblowers
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Frequently are fired
If not, loose all chances of promotion
Ostracized
Serve the public good
Are protected by the False Claims Act
and the Whistleblower Protection Act
of 1989
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
False Claims Act
First enacted in 1863
 In response to fraud perpetrated
by civilian suppliers during the
Civil War
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William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
False Claims Act
Allows whistleblower to sue, on
behalf of the Government a
person or company for submitting
false claims to the Government
 If successful, the whistleblower
receives half of the settlement

William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
False Claims Act
Amended in 1943
 Reduced share of settlement
 Limited evidence of information
 Caused law to fall into disuse
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William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Whistleblower Protection
Act of 1989
Provides safeguards for current
and former Federal employees
 Whistleblowers can appeal to the
US Merit Systems Protection Board
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William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Space Shuttle Challenger
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28 January 1986 – 78 seconds into
liftoff, explosion destroyed the
spacecraft, killing all aboard
Caused by leaks from booster rocket
Roger Boisjoly, engineer in charge of
O-ring inspection reported failures
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Space Shuttle Challenger
NASA paid little attention to report
 Boisjoly wrote to VP of
engineering to indicate problem
and lack of NASA response
 Problem still not fixed

William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Space Shuttle Challenger
Day before launch, a group of
Morton Thiokol engineers
recommended that the launch be
cancelled due to low temperatures
 Under NASA pressure,
recommendation changed to
launch

William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Space Shuttle Challenger
Presidential commission appointed
to investigate
 Boisjoly disobeyed company
directions and told of his
objections and efforts
 Isolated by company a later quit
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William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Morality of Whistleblowing
We will assume altruistic motives
 Whistleblowers cause harm
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– Disloyal to company
– Damage reputations
– Generate bad publicity
– Management, not employees make
decisions
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Morality of Whistleblowing

Sign of organization failure
– People become suspicious of each
other, eroding team spirit
– Manager’s careers can be ruined
– Can be avoided through absolute
moral rules
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Whistleblowing as
a Moral Duty
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Will problem result in serious and
considerable harm to the public?
Have you told your manager?
Have you tried all internal paths?
Have you documented the problem?
Are you reasonably sure that public
exposure will prevent the harm?
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Whistleblowing as
a Moral Duty
Is there a moral requirement to be
a whistleblower?
 Role responsibility
 Causal responsibility
 Legal responsibility
 Moral responsibility
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William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu
Questions & Discussion
William H. Bowers – whb108@psu.edu