Talk @TIAD, 04/10/2016, Paris by Marta Paciorkowska, Acrolinx

1. Ethics in software development
TIAD, 04.10.2016

2. “We’re making the world a better place...”

3. “We’re making the world a better place...
...through Paxos
algorithms for
consensus protocols.”
...through canonical
data models to
communicate between
endpoints.”

4. A code of ethics
for engineers?

5. “Engineering is an important and learned profession. As
members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit
the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering
has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all
people. Accordingly, the services provided by engineers
require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must
be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety,
and welfare. Engineers must perform under a standard of
professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest
principles of ethical conduct.”
https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics/history-code-ethics-engineers

6. Engineers: people who “hold
paramount the safety, health and
welfare of the public”
https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics/history-code-ethics-engineers

7. A code of ethics
for software engineers!
https://www.computer.org/cms/Publications/code-of-ethics.pdf

8. “1.03. Approve software only if they have a well-founded belief that
it is safe, meets specifications, passes appropriate tests, and does
not diminish quality of life, diminish privacy, or harm the
environment. The ultimate effect of the work should be to the
public good.”
https://www.computer.org/cms/Publications/code-of-ethics.pdf

9. “3.15. Treat all forms of software maintenance with the same
professionalism as new development.”
https://www.computer.org/cms/Publications/code-of-ethics.pdf

10. Ethical behavior?
According to
businessdictionary.com:
“Acting in ways consistent with what
society and individuals typically think
are good values. Ethical behavior
tends to be good for business and
involves demonstrating respect for
key moral principles that include
honesty, fairness, equality, dignity,
diversity and individual rights.”

11. Ethical?
According to dictionary.com:
“in accordance with the rules or
standards for right conduct or
practice, especially the standards of a
profession”

12. Marta Paciorkowska
English Literature dropout
Likes weird stuff
DevOps Heroine @ Acrolinx GmbH
Senior Twitter ranter (@a_meba)
https://thatmarta.wordpress.com

13. Ethical issues I
will not talk about
❖ Using open-source code in their
[company] code without
properly crediting the source
❖ Using illegal software to perform
their [company] tasks
❖ Reverse engineering code to find
out how a process works (...)
❖ Taking talent from the
competition
https://www.scribd.com/doc/10880744/Ethical-Issues-in-Softwar
e-Development

14. What we build

15. Girls Around Me
Using the Foursquare API to stalk people
“A violation of our API policy”
Is dating supposed to be risky?

16. “Users will always do things
with technology that we didn’t
anticipate”
Shannon Vallor, associate professor of philosophy at Santa Clara,
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/09/09/software_engineers_need_a_crash_course_in_ethics.html

17. Technology moves fast, but not all
of this movement is for the better.

18. How we build
things
❖ We work in different settings.
❖ Our teams will differ.
❖ Sometimes our software provides
work for others.

19. We’re quite privileged

20. Think about your company
Workers’ unions?
Salaries?
Child-friendly?
Underrepresented groups?
What would you like to change?

21. The sharing economy

22. Freelancers or employees?

23. The people who pay for the
cheap price are the people who
provide the services.

24. Homejoy advertised itself as “a movement
to make cleaning services available to a
broad audience, rather than a luxury for the
rich”
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/03/startup-workers-sue-to-be-recognized-as-employees-not-mere-contractors/

25. The safety and well-being of our end users

26. "Do you risk if you announce early that you terrify
people and actually the breach has been minimal,
or do you do the forensics first, dig down through
the systems, work out what has gone and then
announce things once you're more sure?”
- Tom Cheesewright, security expert,
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/597188/Carphone-Warehouse-data-breach-customers-fury

27. People don’t
understand software.

28. https://www.helloclue.com/privacy.html

29. “3.12. Work to develop software and related documents that
respect the privacy of those who will be affected by that
software.”
https://www.computer.org/cms/Publications/code-of-ethics.pdf

30. Conclusion
❖ You don’t have to agree with me!
❖ Technology doesn’t exist in a
vacuum.
❖ Please, ask questions. ♥

31. Thank you!
https://thatmarta.wordpress.com | @a_meba