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I've found that there isn't a lot of discussion or research around this subject. Shoutout to engprax, a compliance company, for clearly approaching the issue.
by parkerhiggins 3y ago
I've found that there isn't a lot of discussion or research around this subject. Shoutout to engprax, a compliance company, for clearly approaching the issue.
Is it actually an issue though? Software engineers by design (?) are not capital "P" professionals. There's no certification or board underwriting our work. Software engineering/developers have had the latitude to "move fast" and represent the only "professional" trade that has the ability to "try again" (with a deployment) versus a structural engineer for example.
> Dr Junade Ali CEng FIET, the Principal Investigator of the study, said: “Recent developments demonstrate the fundamental importance of software engineers being free to raise the alarm when they become aware of potential wrongdoing; unfortunately our research has highlighted that software engineers are not sufficiently protected when they need to do so. From software engineers facing mass retaliation for speaking up and banned gagging clauses still being used, to ‘industry-standard’ software development metrics not considering the public’s risk appetite; this investigation has highlighted systematic and profound issues with society-wide impact, given how integral computers are to all our lives.
With the ubiquitous nature of software in modern society are we at the point were we need certification? The development and certification of "industry-standards"? This theme, balancing innovation with responsibility, is throughout the the Biden Administration's Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (Order).
Who is really responsible though? The developers who wrote the code? Or the executive who ordered the change?
There's are plenty of examples of this in recent history. Where engineers/developers released code they knew was harmful/fraudulent but did so anyway under fear of retaliation.
> FTX (Nishad Singh) https://www.reuters.com/technology/how-secret-software-change-allowed-ftx-use-client-money-2022-12-13/ https://www.reuters.com/technology/how-secret-software-chang...
> Pollen https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/pollen/#:~:text=Later%2C%20it%20turned%20out%2C%20that%20the%20code%20change%20was%20deliberate.%20The%20BBC%20documentary%20revealed%20evidence%20that%20the%20code%20change%20to%20double%20charge%20was%20made%20on%20Friday%2C%2020%20May%202022%2C%20and%20it%20was%20tested%20to%20work%20correctly.%20The%20code%20was%20then%20executed%20by%20%22a%20senior%20employee%22%20on%20Saturday%2C%2021%20May%202022 https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/pollen/#:~:text=Later%2C%....
I wonder where this is going to go.
- tekla 3y ago> Who is really responsible though? The developers who wrote the code? Yes. The person who wrote the shit is responsible as much as the person who ordered the change.
- JohnFen 3y agoI could not agree more. We are all responsible for our actions and the results our actions cause. "I was just following orders" in no way absolves anyone of that responsibility. That you may pay a price for doing the right thing doesn't make avoiding doing it acceptable.
- BizarreByte 3y agoWhen that cost includes possibly losing everything your worked for and your kids suffering it ceases to be so clear cut. If the society you live in won't look out for you in these situations, why should you look out for it? Take care of you and yours first.
- JohnFen 3y ago> it ceases to be so clear cut. I think it's still clear cut. Losing everything is a lamentable disaster, to be sure, but that doesn't change the ethics of the situation. > If the society you live in won't look out for you in these situations It's not some faceless "society", it's actual people, including the specific people you know. If you're willing to do things that are harmful to others, you're actively working to make the world worse for everyone -- including yourself and those you love.
- generic92034 3y agoFor me that is a bit too simple (no offense meant). If you are threatened you have to balance the harm you would be suffering by not complying with the harm you would be causing by complying.