Professional ethics includes relationships and responsibilities to customers and others who use the technology products that we develop. Honesty is a fundamental ethical value, however, some ethical problems are more subtle than the choice between honesty and dishonesty. As technology professionals, we must have a "..good conscience in all things ... (Hebrews 13:18)" as we strive to do a thorough and careful job. But, we must recognize that, even using the best design methodologies, it is possible to produce software that is flawed. Discuss the following: * Should producers of software-based services, such as ATMs, be held liable for economic injuries suffered when their systems fail? * Does your perspective on the level of culpability change when the development was conducted in accordance with industry best practices? * What steps, if any, can be taken to protect against potentially dangerous programming mistakes?
The first question in the discussion board is interesting because there can be valid arguments made on both sides of the question. If it is found that the producer could have taken steps to avoid the economic injuries suffered from their software then they should be held liable for the damages but if the damages are no fault of their own then they should not be held liable. There was a recent case that got worldwide attention when hackers broke into Sony’s PlayStation network and stole account information from millions of customers. One article that I read said that there is a class-action lawsuit against Sony because the weakness in the network was well known and documented but they chose not to rectify the problem and therefore exposed their customers to potential lost. The lawsuit alleges “that Sony failed to encrypt data and establish adequate firewalls to handle a server intrusion contingency.” (1) IW by Matthew J. Schwartz. In terms