Realizing unethical situations
30 Nov 2017This essay is written to address the module on ethics in software engineering. The article will also be addressing the ACM code of ethics , and the case titled the code I’m still ashamed of
The Case
As a summary of the main points of “the code I’m still ashamed of,” the software developer who was 21 at the time, was hired for his first full-time programming job. His task was to program a quiz, rigged to market the client’s drug. That is, when a superior of his took the quiz, she had also been skeptical. The results would “recommend the client’s drug as the best possible treatment,” with the exception that she had already been prescribed or had been allergic. In the article, the programmer also made clear in a statement: “Remember, this website was posing as a general information site. It was not clearly an advertisement for any particular drug.”
In that case, the drugs prescribed were targetted towards teenage girls. After the programmer finished his assignment, he had been informed immediately the day after, that someone on the drug had committed suicide.
Now, to the argument - a breach of ethics
In the case, although the programmer was fully unaware at the time, labling the issue as a marketing scheme, the website was said to pose as a general information site. A general information site containing misleading information, and especially targetted at teenage girls. There are many issues that could arise. Although the case did not mention what the prescription drug was meant to do, the side effects were severe depression, and suicidal thoughts, which led someone prescribed with the drug to kill themselves before the completion of the general information site. Now, people have to be prescribed with the drug in order to make the purchase, so although doctors may have their fault in prescribing their patients, the general information site could just as well cause an individual to believe that they needed the prescription drug.
As such, not as if it should be always the case, the individual could contact a doctor, and ask for the drug prescription. It is then up to the doctor to decide to prescribe the drug or not. But, if the doctor says no, the individual could approach a different doctor until they receive the prescription. It is just that in cases, there are always exceptions. And it would not be the most out of the world event when a doctor chooses to prescribe a drug when seeing the site or based any other circumstances or lapse in judgment, or if certain symptoms align with the page, or the patient cited symptoms that aligned with what the drug is for.
Counterargument
In the ACM code of ethics and professional conduct “Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities,” so the argument made was that the programmer was simply doing his task.
The big takeaway
As a software developer, individuals must know whether their codes are a breach in ethics or not. The code submitted could be used for the worst purposes, without our own knowing. Although it is reasonable to say that it is not in the fault of the programmer, he was young, following orders, did not have much of a say, and simply did as he was told, but, what he had created could have potentially misled teenagers and in certain exceptions where the website did indirectly lead to death or cause harm, he, and we as programmers, will have to live with that fact of what we might have caused. Mistakes were made, a tool was given to the wrong user, and we must learn to think of when to do as we are told instead of following orders blindly.