Ethics in Mission and Safety Critical Software Engineering
“Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people.” 1 It is by this premise that engineering codes of ethics have been written to outline professional standards for both managers and engineers. Exhibiting the highest standards of honesty and integrity are imperative for the protection of public health, safety, and welfare.2 When ethical principles are compromised, the risk of endangering others greatly increases, especially with mission and safety critical systems. Extreme consequences include not only complete mission failures and great financial loss, but also fatalities. Though most engineering accidents are associated with aerospace, mechanical, civil, or even electrical engineering (due to the nature of these disciplines such that the end products are actually tangible objects), an increasing number of accidents in software engineering have brought attention to the importance of ethics in information technology.
Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice
The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice is the public policy developed by the IEEE Computer Society (CS) and the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM). The IEEE-CS is dedicated to “advancing the theory, practice, and application, of computer and information processing technology.” 3 With more than 100,000 members, it hails itself as the world's leading organization of computer professionals. The ACM serves the same purpose as the IEEE-CS but also encompasses membership for computing students. Both organizations are highly respected among the engineering community and both include membership and offices worldwide.
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Martin, M.W. and Schinzinger, R. (2005) Ethics in Engineering. 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
In chapter six of the text it explained the hacker code of ethics and the issues associated with it. An ethical hacker is defined as a computer and networking expert who systematically attempts to penetrate a computer system or network on behalf of its owners for finding security vulnerabilities that malicious hackers could infiltrate. American journalist Steven Levy established six principals for hacker code of ethics. The six principal are limited computer access, free use of information, mistrusted- authority, examination of hacker, creation, and support in life for advancement. These principal has been controversial to many based on personal moral. As for creating appropriate set of guidelines for non-malicious hackers without becoming
ACM Council. (1992, 10 16). ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Retrieved from Association of Computing Machinery: http://www.acm.org/about/code-of-ethics
This paper discusses the ethical decisions, our opinions about those ethical decisions and our opinions of the future trend involved in the F-35 jet fighter glitches. The paper also discusses how the F-35 glitches relate to the code of ethics and how, as Computer Science majors, we need to make a decision that the
...nciples of engineering; in doing so, they will aid in the protection of society by having a high standard of ethics, honesty, and integrity. In order to become a world-class engineering student, I will have to continue to be conscious of academic dishonest behavior, alerting my professors if I am witness to its occurrence and deterring myself from it, in addition to familiarizing myself with the professional ethical codes related to engineering as engineers are expected to exhibit these fundamental principles when fulfilling their professional duties.
The tragic failure of the Challenger does make for an excellent case study on managment process. Prior to reviewing the course material, I was aware there was a technical and mechanical failure which led to the demise of the spacecraft as well as the crew, but I had no idea that the device which failed was a known problem to the engineers, and known by at least some level of management. It is shocking. Although I was unable to obtain the PDF for Engineering Ethics Case Study: The Challenger Disaster, I found the content of The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster: A Study in Organizational Ethics particularly interesting of case studies provided.
Humans, by our very own nature, commit errors or mistakes; for that reason, it must come as no amazement that human fault has been involved in a range of industrial mishaps, including about 80% of human error in the aviation industry. Actually, while the number of aviation mishaps related to automated failure has decreased significantly over the past 40 years; those related to human error have dropped at a much slower speed (Shappell & Wiegmann, 2003). After such findings, it would look like involvements designed in decreasing the occurrence or magnitudes of human error have not been as productive as those focused at automated or mechanical failures. Evidently, if mishaps are to be reduced more, additional importance must be employed ...
The code of ethics are a guide of principles designed to help professionals conduct business honestly and with integrity.1Most organization have codes of ethics that its members are required to follow and it lays out the rules and acceptable behavior of its the members of ethics and which actions are acceptable or not acceptable business practices. One industry where professional codes of ethics is important is health care. Most health care workers belong to an accredited organization of their profession, such American Medical Association (AMA), American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and American Nurses Association. They may also be required to have additional certification and rules they must follow based on the laws of the individual
Besides altruistic concerns about public welfare in safety-critical jobs and applications, the threat of lawsuits and an interest in protecting the field's own reputation drives many professions to institute licensing and training programs. The fact is that the airlines do regulate who can fly commercial airplanes. Doctors do have to go to medical school, and even large-truck drivers have certification programs to pass. However, no liscencing is currently required for software developers-even those programming safety-critical applications. Because software has such far-reaching effects and the very real potential to harm when written poorly, software professionals should be licensed as well. This license should ensure that the computing professional has the required body of knowledge and proper ethics to perform his job well.
AOL 2: Ethics of Process Problem Domain Exploration Analysis: Key Questions Ethical Analysis Legal Mandela and eight other ANC leaders were accused of sabotage and plot to overthrow the state capital. Ethical Mandela had a complete shift in strategy from a nonviolent approach to a policy of armed resurrection. Moral Nelson Mandela has not had any first or second generation successors. People have been unable to live up to his legacy and fill the vacuum created by his absence. Police killed 69 black demonstrators who were protesting peacefully in Sharpeville Township.
In the paragraphs that follow you will be introduced to the Code of Ethics as outlined by IEEE, and what it means to its members. A comprehensive summarization will be provided for each guideline along with examples of how this code has been recently violated. The vast world of technology, as ever-changing as it is, can affect almost everyone in any aspect of life. This being the case it is important that we as students and engineers adhere to the guidelines set forth by the IEEE, and commit to conduct ourselves to act in a professional and ethical manner. While this is the conduct expected to be exemplified by the members of IEEE, many organizations and firms have similar codes to which they too expect their members to follow.
Engineering is an essential and learned profession. As members of this profession, engineers are likely to show the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a straight and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Consequently, the services offered by engineers need honesty, impartiality, equality, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public safety, welfare, and health. Engineers must act under a standard of professional performance that requires adherence to the maximum principles of ethical conduct.
Tavani, Herman T. "Chapter 4 :Professional Codes of Ethics and Codes of Conduct." Ethics and Technology: Controversies, Questions, and Strategies for Ethical Computing. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2010. Print.
McLaren, B. (2010, July 22). The ethical responsibility of engineers and the rest of us, too [Web log article]. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-d-mclaren/the-ethical-responsibilit_b_653812.html
Duquenoy, P., Jones, S., & Blundell, B. (2008). Ethical, legal and professional issues in computing. London: Thomson.