Project Paper

This final project is intended to have your apply the code to five ethical issues we have considered this semester. Students are to articulate five distinct, separate issues in three “Parts”: articulate the “Ethical Issue,” relevant pats of the code, and “Applying the Code” to the issue, where a resolution grounded in the code is made. Each of the five examples should first describe the issue, then list the relevant parts of the code, and finally concluding how one should respond, applying the code to the issue. This process should have students cut and paste relevant parts of the entire code.

Example: Volkswagen Software Developers and Beating the Emissions Test :

Part 1: Ethical Issue: Software developer for VW and are asked to sign off on software designed to detect and pass emissions testing

Part 2: Relevant Parts of the Code 1.1 Contribute to society and human well-being.

“An essential aim of computing professionals is to minimize negative consequences of computing systems, including threats to health and safety.”

“When designing or implementing systems, computing professionals must attempt to ensure that the products of their efforts will be used in socially responsible ways, will meet social needs, and will avoid harmful effects to health and welfare.”

“In addition to a safe social environment, human well-being includes a safe natural environment. Therefore, computing professionals who design and develop systems must be alert to, and make others aware of, any potential damage to the local or global environment.”

1.2 Avoid harm to others.

"Harm" means injury or negative consequences, such as undesirable loss of information, loss of property, property damage, or unwanted environmental impacts.

1.3 Be honest and trustworthy.

2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work.

ACM members must obey existing local, state, province, national, and international laws unless there is a compelling ethical basis not to do so.

Part 3: Applying Code to the Issue

The ACM code would condemn the actions of the VW software developer, as this software designed to avoid emissions tests. The resulting software violates 1.1 (doesn’t contribute to society and well-being, is not socially responsible, and against a safe natural environment. It violates 1.2 as it has unwanted environmental impacts, violates 2.3 as it violates emissions laws.

Grading will be based on comprehensiveness, choosing controversial ethical issues, citing most relevant parts of the code to the issue involved in a concise manner. Answers are due posted to Blackboard by