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How about a compromise then? Software engineers are responsible for the negative consequences of the software. Any and all responsibility they take is then also

How about a compromise then? Software engineers are responsible for the negative consequences of the software. Any and all responsibility they take is then also shared with every person that is above them in the hierarchy. Eg a developer does something and society finds this unethical and punishes them. The developer's boss, the boss's boss, the boss's boss's boss etc up to the CEO all get punished in the same way. Furthermore, to avoid companies trying to shield themselves from this by putting their developers into a different company, it will apply to software that you get from someone else too. Suddenly this doesn't sound very appealing anymore, does it?

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bjo590 6y ago
> Any and all responsibility they take is then also shared with every person that is above them in the hierarchy. Currently, if I write software that performs illegal actions -- let's say software that allows me to use unlicensed Adobe products -- at the request of my boss and their boss, all three of us would be legally liable.
- ivanche 6y ago
  It seems you're conflating illegal and unethical.
  - jki275 6y ago
    Illegal and unethical can be the same -- they don't have to be, but it's not wrong to discuss cases where they are.
imtringued 6y ago
That makes no sense. Management just needs to decide on an ethics standard for the entire company and install an audit process that maintains that standard. That's the entire problem. Don't ask a handful of employees to do some charity.