PowerPoint® Slides to Accompany
A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and
Ethical Issues for Computers and the
Internet
(2nd Edition)
by
Sara Baase
San Diego State University
PowerPoint slides created by Sherry Clark
Copyright 2003 Prentice Hall
A Gift of Fire, 2ed
Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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A Gift of Fire
Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
Ethics
Ethical Guidelines for Computer Professionals
Cases
A Gift of Fire, 2ed
Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Professional Ethics
Categories:
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Medical,
Legal,
Accounting,
Computer,
…and more.
Q: What are the special responsibilities of these professionals?
A Gift of Fire, 2ed
Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Computer Ethics
Special Responsibilities Facing Computer Professionals and
Users
• Maintaining relationships with and responsibilities toward customers,
clients, coworkers, employees, and employers.
• Making critical decisions that have significant consequences for many
people.
• Determining how to manage, select, or use computers in a professional
setting.
Q: Describe an ethical scenario for one of the categories, above.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
“Do the Right Thing”
Behaving Ethically Includes:
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Being honest.
Keeping promises.
Doing your job well.
Not stealing.
Q: What other behaviors are usually considered “doing the right thing?”
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Ethical Views
Deontological
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Emphasizes duty and absolute rules.
Rules should apply to everyone.
Use logic or reason to determine what is good.
Treat people as an ends (not a means).
Q: Describe “rules” that follow deontological decision-making that apply to
school or work.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Ethical Views (cont’d)
Consequentialist
• Includes Utilitarianism
• Strive to increase “utility” (that which satisfies a person’s needs and
values) for the most people (the greater good).
• Consider the consequences for all affected people.
Q: Describe “rules” that follow consequentialist decision-making that apply
to school or work.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Ethical Views (cont’d)
Consequentialist (cont’d)
• Rule-Utilitarianism: Choose rules, or guidelines for behavior, that
generally increase utility.
• Act-Utilitarianism: Analyze each action to determine if it increases utility.
Q: What are some problems with act-utilitarianism?
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Ethical Views (cont’d)
Natural Rights
• Derived from the nature of humanity
• Focus is on the process by which people interact.
• Respect the fundamental rights of others, including life, liberty, and
property.
Q: Describe an ethical scenario about use of a computer system and tell what
rights the people involved have.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Ethical Views (cont’d)
Reaching the Right Decision
• There is no formula to solve ethical problems.
• The computer professional must consider trade-offs.
• Ethical theories help to identify important principles or guidelines.
Q: What trade-offs might a computer professional need to consider?
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Ethical Views (cont’d)
Some Important Distinctions
• Right, Wrong, and Okay: acts may be ethically obligatory, ethically
prohibited, or ethically acceptable.
• Negative rights (liberties): the right to act without coercive interference.
• Positive rights (claim-rights): imposing an obligation on some people to
provide certain things.
• Causing harm: some acts may cause harm to others but are not
necessarily unethical.
Q: Describe an ethical scenario involving a computer professional that
illustrates one of the items above.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethics
Ethical Views (cont’d)
Some Important Distinctions (cont’d)
• Goals vs. actions: the actions we take to achieve our goals should be
consistent with our ethical constraints.
• Personal preference vs. ethics: some issues we disapprove of because
of our dislikes, rather than on ethical grounds.
• Law vs. ethics: some acts are ethical, but illegal; other acts are legal,
but unethical.
Q: Describe an ethical scenario involving a computer professional that
illustrates one of the items above.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethical Guidelines
for Computer Professionals
Special Aspects of Professional Ethics
Computer Professionals:
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Are experts in their field,
Know customers rely on their knowledge, expertise, and honesty,
Understand their products (and related risks) affect many people,
Follow good professional standards and practices,
Maintain an expected level of competence and are up-to-date on
current knowledge and technology, and
• Educate the non-computer professional.
Q: Recall
a computer professional who demonstrated some of these
characteristics.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethical Guidelines
for Computer Professionals
Professional Codes
ACM and IEEE CS
• Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice
ACM
• ACM Code of Ethics
Ethical Behaviors Expected of the Computer Professional:
• Honest and fair; respects confidentiality; maintains professional
competence; understands relevant laws; respects and protection of
personal privacy; avoids harming others; and respects property rights.
Q: How does a software engineer “learn” to be ethical?
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethical Guidelines
for Computer Professionals
Additional Guidelines for the Computer
Professional
Understand Success
• Understand what success means—developers (especially) and users
of computer systems must see beyond simply writing code to complete
a task.
Design for Real Users
• To provide useful systems, real users must be included in the design
stage.
Q: Give an example of a system for which consultation with real users in the
design stage would be important.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethical Guidelines
for Computer Professionals
Additional Guidelines for the Computer
Professional (cont’d)
Thorough Planning and Scheduling
• Pay attention to details—do a thorough and careful job when planning
and scheduling a project and when writing bids.
Test With Real Users
• To provide safe systems, real users must be included in the testing
stage.
Q: Give an example of a system that has a straightforward user interface. A
confusing interface. Would testing with real users improve the confusing one?
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Ethical Guidelines
for Computer Professionals
Additional Guidelines for the Computer
Professional (cont’d)
Evaluate Re-use of Software
• Don’t assume existing software is safe and re-usable.
Candidness
• Be open and honest about capabilities, safety, and limitations of
software.
Protect
• Require a convincing case for safety.
Q: Describe a software program or computer system for which you think
these guidelines were not followed.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Cases
Analyzing a Professional Ethical Scenario
Brainstorming phase
• List risks, issues, problems, consequences.
• List all the stakeholders.
• List possible actions.
Q: What is the purpose of this stage?
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Cases
Analyzing Professional Responsibilities (cont’d)
Analysis phase
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Identify the responsibilities of the decision-maker.
Identify the rights of stakeholders.
Consider the impact of the action options on the stakeholders.
Find sections in codes of ethics that apply. Categorize each potential
action or response as ethically obligatory, ethically prohibited, or
ethically acceptable.
• Consider the ethical merits of each option and select one.
Q: What is the value of this stage?
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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Cases
Applying the Brainstorming and Analysis
Phases
Refer to any of the cases in the text or the general exercises
following each chapter or current scenarios in the news.
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Chapter 10: Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
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