The ethical and social responsibilities of software developers. In addition, it also discuss copyright issues in relation to software piracy in the current economic and technological environment.
“Decisions that are made by software developers can have a wide-ranging effect on the community.”
It is an often debated topic, as to the responsibilities placed on today's computer programmers and their companies. Not only are the specific responsibilities themselves debated, but also with whom particularly those responsibilities lie; of the programmer and the supervisor, with whom does the blame rest when a program goes wrong? If restrictive deadlines contribute to the release of an unpolished product, are failures in that product the responsibility of the project manager, for poor time allocation, or the responsibility of the software producer, whose thirst for profit has caused the rushed release? Must the programmer account for the errors, even when they are the result of unrealistic expectations from higher up the corporate food chain? Software development is said to be a highly collaborative enterprise; does it follow that the responsibility also rests with the collective?
It is indisputable that we are living in the technological age. The Computer Industry Almanac reports that by 2007, some 661 million personal computers will have been sold worldwide (approximately one computer for every six people), and the United States will have 831 personal computers in use for every 1000 people in the population.1 In addition to the stand-alone personal computer, so many other house-hold items and critically important systems utilise computer technology; dishwashers, microwaves, televisions, mobile phones, stereo systems, automobiles, aircraft, financial facilities and administrative systems all contain integrated computer circuitry, and all need to be controlled by some sort of software. With so many every-day and important items relying on computer processing in one way or another, it is difficult to see how the decisions made by software developers could not impact the community at large, and in a wide variety of ways.
Because of the possible consequences of software developers' decisions, it is important to establish a set of ethical standards, a code of responsible conduct and appropriate legal protections for programmers and their colleagues. It is through these measures that the responsibilities of developers can be set out, explained, and the necessary powers implemented to enforce the responsibilities and ensure they are respected. In the design of content and purpose, the process of programming and associated practices, the targeting of audience, and the provision of appropriate documentation, software developers have to be in constant awareness of their social responsibilities, paying attention to the maintenance of their ethical standards in terms of legal, moral, and non-discriminative software practices. This essay aims to explore these social and ethical responsibilities, how they pertain to software development decision-making, and how these decisions can affect communities.
The term "ethical" can be defined as “pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principals of morality; pertaining to the right and wrong of conduct.”2
The "ethical responsibilities of software developers" can be taken to mean the body of moral philosophy and code of conduct expected to be followed by those involved in designing and engineering computer software.
In our society, the definition and enforcement of these responsibilities is predominantly carried out through the implementation of laws.
The broadest and most significant body of software development law, although not exclusive to software development, is that of copyright. This is the notion that the creative pursuits of individuals always remain the property of the creator or creators, and that those individuals have the right to control how and by whom their creations are used. In the specific software engineering context, copyright is “the legal protection of computer programs against illegal copying such as piracy and provides the software developer with the legal right to control the use of their product.”3
As mentioned, piracy4 is outlawed by copyright, but other forms of intellectual property theft, such as failing to obtain author permission before copying significant portions of program code or modifying a section of a program are considered in breach of Australian copyright laws, as well as putting one's own name to another's work (plagiarism).
It should be noted that the above unlawful actions are usually also covered in the individual codes of conduct of software development companies and corporations. The Association of Computing Machinery recommends in its suggested Code of Ethics and Professional Practice5 that software engineers are to “report to the client or the employer promptly if … a project is likely to fail [or] to violate intellectual property law” (clause 2.06), not to “knowingly use software that is obtained or retained either illegally or unethically” (clause 2.02), and to “identify, define and address ethical [and legal] issues related to work projects” (clause 3.03, applicable in that it asks software engineers to be mindful of ethical practices and act if they believe a significant legal or ethical issue is at hand). The overall tone of the ACM Code is that software engineers always balance the interests of their clients and employers with the public good, and act if they believe public interests are in jeopardy.
