Software ethics

Johnson [17] identifies several topics related to liability, and she offers an important distinction as well. Among the topics related to liability and computer use in general are legal liability, the duty of honesty, the nature of contracts, misrepresentation, express and implied warranties, and negligence [17]. The relevant distinction concerns the nature of software as either a product or a service. Many of these topics hold little interest for the ethicist investigating computer ethics. For instance, legal liability is less important to philosophy than to jurisprudence. 

For one or two days, keep an ethics-courtesy log where you record your activities along with a brief analysis of the ethical implications of those activities. Many ordinary activities have an ethical component. Do you reflexively tell the truth, or do you make up little stories Do you use registered software, music, and other intellectual property, or do you download or use copies without cost Are you courteous to others by saying please and thank you, or do you order people around, issuing commands when you want something Write a short essay reflecting on your logging experience and the content of this section. 

Laboratories prevent data management errors by implementing QA policies and procedures for data reduction, verification, and software management and by establishing a high standard of professional ethics. 

This ethical responsibility of software product designers parallels the ethical and legal responsibilities of urban planners, theater owners, building owners, and commercial shop designers under the Americans With Disabilities Act of... 

Case 2 SDl Battlefield Software Specific ethical issues include ... 

A breach of ethics or a courageous show of ethics is frequently newsworthy. An example of a breach of ethics is that of an MIT student who used university hardware to distribute commercial software over the Internet. Recent examples of a more courageous show of ethics, which are presented as case studies by the WWW Ethics Center for Engineering and Science, include... 

Engineers ability to address ethical issues related to technology advancement, e.g., privacy issues in computer software/conununication and... 

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