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M arch 2018 marked the first reported pedestrian death from a self-driving car [10]. The possibility of such events caused by significant technological advances has stimulated interest in ethical issues. Many people think of these... more
M arch 2018 marked the first reported pedestrian death from a self-driving car [10]. The possibility of such events caused by significant technological advances has stimulated interest in ethical issues. Many people think of these situations as brand-new problems requiring unique solutions. The truth is we have been here before, many times. Each technological change has created ethical challenges—should we use remote-controlled technology to take lives? Should we allow computers to decide our medical treatment? Do we want unethical people to have access to computer power? The difficulty and complexity of each new technical advance’s ethical problems distract each generation from the fact that these problems are just different species of a common problem, namely the problem of ethically managing the interaction of technology with humanity. The rising interest in ethics is positive, but the belief that these issues are brand new or unique to a specific sector is potentially harmful.
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It is generally foolish to predict the future but in this case the odds are with me. This article was written in July 2006 but it will be early December 2006 before it is in print. In the USA a 'mid-term election' was completed in... more
It is generally foolish to predict the future but in this case the odds are with me. This article was written in July 2006 but it will be early December 2006 before it is in print. In the USA a 'mid-term election' was completed in November (three months after this article was written) and I presume most of the recounts from that election should be over by now.
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Research Interests: Engineering, Ethics, Project Management, SODIS, Computer Ethics, and 15 moreSoftware Development, Risk assessment, Risk Analysis, Computer Software, Project manager, RAE, Personal Software Process, CAIS, AIS, Product Life Cycle, Risk Assessment in Software development, Computer software development, Risk Assessment, Side Effect, and Ethics In Project Management
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This article introduces the SoDIS process to identify ethical and social risks from software development in the context of designing software for the New Zealand Maori culture. In reviewing the SoDIS analysis for this project, the... more
This article introduces the SoDIS process to identify ethical and social risks from software development in the context of designing software for the New Zealand Maori culture. In reviewing the SoDIS analysis for this project, the tensions between two cultures are explored with emphasis on the (in)compatibility between a Maori worldview and the values embedded in the SoDIS process. The article concludes with some reflections upon the key principles informing the professional development of software and ways in which cultural values are embedded in supposedly neutral technologies, and reviews the lessons learned about avoiding colonization while working on a bicultural project.
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A friend once posed the question “How good is good enough? [1] in an article addressing professional computer ethics issues. I have frequently argued for various answers to this question by emphasizing the responsibility of software... more
A friend once posed the question “How good is good enough? [1] in an article addressing professional computer ethics issues. I have frequently argued for various answers to this question by emphasizing the responsibility of software practitioners to those who are impacted by what we do. “How good is good enough?”; the answer to this abstract question becomes concrete when it is asked in specific contexts. The answer actually has two aspects; doing a quality job to make something work and limiting the possible failures of the product. One facet is commonly emphasized in our classes and the other is frequently understated or ignored. Let me illustrate the problem with two examples. On January 15 2009, 1 minute after takeoff from New York City, a US Airways Airbus 320 Jetliner lost power in both of its engines and within 2 minutes the pilot “landed” the plane on the Hudson River. All aboard were rescued. The story is an impressive description of the excellent execution of safety management plans, pilot skills, and the good will of people responding to the emergency [2]. On October 7 2008, an airplane accident was reported in which a faulty onboard computer suddenly sent a large passenger jet into a steep dive. The pilot regained control in a few seconds, but meanwhile 51 passengers and crew were significantly injured, including “broken bones and spinal injuries.” [3] According to that report:
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Open source software is making a large impact on many aspects of society including the business community, the computing industry, the entertainment industry and higher education. The computer science education community has been quiet... more
Open source software is making a large impact on many aspects of society including the business community, the computing industry, the entertainment industry and higher education. The computer science education community has been quiet about issues of open source versus closed source and the role of open source code in the advancement of information technology. A survey of recent issues
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The concepT of a due daTe or a deadline seems to have undergone some significant changes. According to some students, instructors are being unfair when they refuse to accept late work, reduce scores for late work, or deduct for mistakes.... more
The concepT of a due daTe or a deadline seems to have undergone some significant changes. According to some students, instructors are being unfair when they refuse to accept late work, reduce scores for late work, or deduct for mistakes. The mantra uttered is " Everyone is entitled to a second chance ". The concept of a second chance has been elevated almost to an inalienable right while simultaneously being so expanded and overused that it has become meaningless. It has been used to mean that the individual who made a mistake should be excused, not penalized. After making a mistake the students must be forgiven, or treated as if the mistake was never made. Failure to give a second chance is often turned around and used to criticize the " unforgiving " person. The instructor is accused of being overly harsh, inflexible, and intolerant. I was struck at how far this concept has been extended when I encountered the following claim on a law firm's web site. " At our law firm, we believe everyone, regardless of whether it is a first offense or repeated conduct, is entitled to a second chance " [1]. Somehow the 'second' chance' has been extended from 'an opportunity to correct an error' to a way to wash away any moral responsibility for an act. The failure to pay attention to some significant aspect of software development is sometimes labeled " an honest mistake ". The use of the word " honest " implies that there should be no blame and there is no moral responsibility to do it right the first time. I contend that we make a significant mistake if we even hint that a second chance negates the responsibility for meeting deadlines, producing quality work, and the moral responsibility for the consequences of their work. I reject the claim that " You can't hold me responsible because: I started late, I did not study, I did not learn the material, or I did not understand the instructions, or I did not intend to do this and I am entitled to a second chance. " The learning process does involve mistakes and we often actually learn from our mistakes and from being shown how to avoid similar mistakes in the future. My concern is that if we accept this rubber-ized – I am not morally responsible – sense of 'second chance' in …
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T here are a number of fairly standard approaches to reducing risks in computing artifacts. I am working with groups of law enforcement agencies in Europe developing a prototype of a system to help their analysts and investigators uncover... more
T here are a number of fairly standard approaches to reducing risks in computing artifacts. I am working with groups of law enforcement agencies in Europe developing a prototype of a system to help their analysts and investigators uncover murky relationships in complex data from multiple sources of uneven reliability. They are aware of and are diligently addressing potential technical, professional, social, political, and ethical risks in the development of the system. The groups’ question about how to do ethical design in this project inspired this column. The kinds of risk aversion techniques used in computing have some common characteristics across all domains of computing, differing primarily in the labels used in various domains. For example: • the project manager worries about feasibility planning including considerations of time, competence, and budget to develop a system; • the designer worries about clear requirements and an adequate mechanism to achieve these requirements, how to best model these for user interaction, etc.; • the coders worry about algorithms and state diagrams and how to best model these in a programming language.
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8 acm Inroads 2010 June • Vol. 1 • No. 2 A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR US is to anticipate and minimize misuse of our work. As technology begins to converge and it is considered fashionable (or good marketing) to develop multifunctional systems, we... more
8 acm Inroads 2010 June • Vol. 1 • No. 2 A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR US is to anticipate and minimize misuse of our work. As technology begins to converge and it is considered fashionable (or good marketing) to develop multifunctional systems, we seem surprised by the ‘new’ and often inappropriate uses of our systems. The person who thought it appropriate to add picture-taking functionality to cell phones probably did not anticipate the problems that would be caused by transmitting pictures taken in high school locker rooms or by ‘sexting’. When we provide people with cameras people will use them in unexpected ways. Many times we are distracted by the novelty or complexity of our work and don’t think about well known situations. Our job as professionals is not easy; not only do we need work related technical expertise but we also need to remember to take account of known situations and contexts where our work will be used. We need to think about the historical problems associated with and facilitated by the kind of things we’re working on. Recently, a local school district supplied laptop computers with tracking software installed to their students. The tracking software was very effective using a GPS system to help locate ‘misplaced’ laptops. This became a major news item when the principle of the school used the picture taking add-on to take pictures surreptitiously of the students at home and in school. The news addressed the privacy violations by the school employee; but I also wonder about the designers who failed to anticipate this kind of misuse of the picture taking function. This function did not enhance the GPS tracking. The addition of the photo function did provide entertainment for the principle who said, “I just like to mess around with them.” This failure to learn from past problems is widespread even in the most well intentioned systems. For example, an XP version of Windows Accessibility Wizard had a function to enable the visually challenged to increase the font size. After the user selected the font they could read (e.g. 16 point), the instructions on how to apply this selection appeared in another window in an 8-point font! Not only did this make the function ineffective, but the user would have to navigate normal size font (they could not read) to get to the font changing function. New electronic book readers are useful for the visually challenged or even for those who don’t want to admit that they need glasses. The Amazon Kindle 2 for example provides six different font sizes for book content. It also lets people purchase books instantly online from the Kindle Store. The designers did not seem to address the problem of XP pointed out above. The way provided for the visually challenged to change fonts size is to select a small key labelled in 6or 8-point font. The user must just memorize the location of the key. The real surprise is that the font change only applies to the book text. The list of books used to select which book you want to read on your Kindle and the information at the Kindle store are in a fi xed(small) font size Selecting which book you want to read and purchasing a book are not easy for the visually challenged. This seems like a familiar problem. The design of the laptop tracking software and the Kindle 2 electronic book both suffer from problems that might have been anticipated by looking at similar systems. Good professionals need to be aware of more than the technical information needed to complete a task; they also need to consider how similar systems have worked in a variety of contexts. This kind of information facilitates more professional intelligent decisions. Don’t be misled by the examples used above. Ignoring how previous systems were developed and used cannot be ignored. This lack of minimal historical investigation has a broad range of consequences as is evident in the recent repetitions of the 25-year-old THERAC 25 radiation overdosing problems [1]. Yes, history is important even if we are only talking about a few years ago. Ir
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Recently, a UK colleagUe of mine reported a typical student reaction to the required computer professionalism course. The student asserted that he did not want to take the course but was “forced to in order to get British Computer Society... more
Recently, a UK colleagUe of mine reported a typical student reaction to the required computer professionalism course. The student asserted that he did not want to take the course but was “forced to in order to get British Computer Society certification and would never use this course in his career.” Many computer ethics teachers or those who address professional responsibility have heard similar complaints. I think these complaints are symptoms of a broader problem we have in teaching computing, namely, giving students a dangerously narrow view of computing. One of the contributing factors to this narrow view is the way we computing professionals ‘sell’ or ‘promote’ entry into our field. Web pages at several computer science departments have promoted computing in part as a response to downturns in student enrolment. The web sites sometimes feature assertions as “Computer Science graduates are some of the most sought-after graduates and earn among the highest salaries right out of college”
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In support of ACM's and the IEEE's commitment to professionalism, the ACM Committee on Professional Ethics, a technical co-sponsor of this conference, is presenting a workshop designed to help faculty provide students with tools... more
In support of ACM's and the IEEE's commitment to professionalism, the ACM Committee on Professional Ethics, a technical co-sponsor of this conference, is presenting a workshop designed to help faculty provide students with tools to better understand and to better resolve their ethical challenges as professionals. This workshop will have a special focus on issues raised by robots, Google Glass, and other increasingly sophisticated devices. The workshop will use both lecture and small group activities to introduce and enhance participants' teaching skills in computer and engineering ethics. Leaders will present materials to be used in a complete professional ethics course, and that can also be integrated as examples and exercises into specific technical courses. The materials will include case studies, suggested course syllabi, and suggestions for creating and grading assignments. The workshop will feature demonstrations of several advanced devices, and how they can be used to teach about ethics, and to attract attention to ethical issues.
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The 1992 CSC Annual Debate produced a lively discussion focused on a resolution calling upon the ACM to support efforts in state legislatures to regulate and license computer professionals. This followed proposals in several states for... more
The 1992 CSC Annual Debate produced a lively discussion focused on a resolution calling upon the ACM to support efforts in state legislatures to regulate and license computer professionals. This followed proposals in several states for just such licensing. Meanwhile, the IEEE computer society committee on public policy has drafted a position statement endorsing “a national policy on the certification
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Old truths I have come to see the importance of old truths—something to do with my moving into older age categories. A quarter of a century ago I had the privilege of working on the ACM task force which developed the current ACM Code of... more
Old truths I have come to see the importance of old truths—something to do with my moving into older age categories. A quarter of a century ago I had the privilege of working on the ACM task force which developed the current ACM Code of Conduct and Professional Practice [1], (“The Code”). The Code was written in support of ACM’s goals of “Advancing Computing as a Science and a Profession” and it replaced ACM’s earlier code [2]. The earlier code focused on disciplinary cannons; the newer code focused on statements of ethical aspiration. It is now time for a call to action related to The Code. The Code helped guide computing professionals’ understanding of how to apply ethical guidelines, (called “imperatives”), to their new and rapidly changing practice. A code of ethics reflecting the conscience of a profession is different from the law. The imperatives were not canonical pronouncements requiring the use of particular technological solutions. Instead these ethical markers of professionalism were presented as goals and ideals to which the morally responsible professional practitioner should aspire. The imperatives were accompanied by guidelines and illustrations showing how they applied to a developing computing profession. Here is an example, 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... Over the years the Code has been used as a guide to instruct students entering the profession, a decision support tool for computing practitioners, a standard for the public to judge the professionalism of practitioners, and an aid to address legal issues and ethical tensions [9]. The ACM’s Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) [3] conducts teacher training workshops and other public education activities, and responds to queries from ACM members, industry professionals [8], ACM governance bodies, and other key stakeholders about the intersection of computing practice and ethical behavior reflected in the Code.
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This textbook emphasizes a diversity of values from different cultures, religions, and geographical locations. The book is designed to assist students, computing professionals, and faculty members to act in a more professional and ethical... more
This textbook emphasizes a diversity of values from different cultures, religions, and geographical locations. The book is designed to assist students, computing professionals, and faculty members to act in a more professional and ethical manner. Compelling case studies, ethical reasoning, and cultural perspectives will be included throughout the book, and the authors will apply lessons learned over many years of intense involvement in computing ethics. The text is appropriate either as a main text in a stand-alone ethics course or as a supplementary text for other related courses.
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Like most significant changes in technology, Cloud Computing and Big Data along with their associated analytic techniques are claimed to provide us with new insights unattainable by any previous knowledge techniques. It is believed that... more
Like most significant changes in technology, Cloud Computing and Big Data along with their associated analytic techniques are claimed to provide us with new insights unattainable by any previous knowledge techniques. It is believed that the quantity of virtual data now available requires new knowledge production strategies. Although they have yielded significant results, there are problems with advocated processes and resulting facts. The primary process treats "pattern recognition" as a final result rather than using "pattern recognition" to lead to yet to be tested testable hypotheses. In data analytics, the discovery of a pattern is treated as knowledge rather than going further to understand the possible causes of those patterns. When this is used as the primary approach to knowledge acquisition unjustified inferences are made - "fact generation". These pseudo-facts are used to generate new pseudo-facts as those initial inferences are fed back into analytic engines as established facts. The approach of generating "facts from data analytics" is introducing highly risky scenarios where "fiction becomes fact" very quickly. These "facts" are then given elevated epistemic status and get used in decision making. This, misleading approach is inconsistent with the moral duty of computing professionals embodied in their Codes of Ethics. There are some ways to mitigate the problems generated by this single path approach to knowledge generation.
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The author discusses ethical considerations that arise in the practice of software engineering and uses cases to help focus the discussion on ethical concerns in the practice of software engineering. The author comments on the... more
The author discusses ethical considerations that arise in the practice of software engineering and uses cases to help focus the discussion on ethical concerns in the practice of software engineering. The author comments on the relationship between software safety and ethics, informed consent and ethical decisions, the customer's responsibility for end-product quality, internal performance standards and customer consent to inferior
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Objectives: As an emerging profession, Software Engineering professional practice consists of both technical knowledge and the application of that skill guided by ethical standards. In the current movement toward a more professional... more
Objectives: As an emerging profession, Software Engineering professional practice consists of both technical knowledge and the application of that skill guided by ethical standards. In the current movement toward a more professional approach to software engineering, the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge task force has been identifying the technical skills and the Software Engineering Professional Ethics Project has been defining standards of professional practice in documents like the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
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The traditional distinction between education as something which is done at a university and training as something which is done by industry, is not only incorrect but the focus on this distinction leads us to ignore more critical issues... more
The traditional distinction between education as something which is done at a university and training as something which is done by industry, is not only incorrect but the focus on this distinction leads us to ignore more critical issues in the development of competent software engineers. The adequacy and success of a variety of delivery techniques for the education and training of software engineers are discussed using three software development tools as examples. From this foundation, I argue that our traditional understanding of training is too limited and must be modified to develop software engineers who are competent to meet the changing needs of their employers and their profession. The traditional distinction between education as something which is done at university and training as something which is done by industry is not only an incorrect distinction but the focus on this distinction leads us to ignore more critical issues in the development of competent software engineers. The adequacy and success of a variety of delivery techniques for the education and training of software engineers are discussed using three software development tools as examples. From this foundation, I argue that our traditional understanding of training is too limited and must be modified to develop software engineers who are competent to meet the changing needs of their employers and their profession
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The Centre for Information Technology Research (CITRUS) launched in 2002 had the goal of encouraging collaborative research that is industry and community linked, at regional and national levels within the NACCQ sector. The research... more
The Centre for Information Technology Research (CITRUS) launched in 2002 had the goal of encouraging collaborative research that is industry and community linked, at regional and national levels within the NACCQ sector. The research programme into Software Development Impact Statements being conducted by the Software Engineering Practice Improvement Alliance, (SoDIS SEPIA) represents one model towards achieving this goal. Initiated in 2001, this programme of research has developed increasing momentum from small beginnings, and is beginning to attract funding and a growing body of research partners committed to its goals. Bootstrapping a research programme from scratch is nonetheless a difficult undertaking. This paper outlines the goals of the programme; the strategies applied to build a collaborative network of researchers in educational and commercial organizations in New Zealand, Australia and the United States; reviews the successes and failures in the process so far; and makes some recommendations for developing successful research partnerships.
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Page 1. An Introduction to Functional Independency in Relational Database Normalization Tennyson X. Chen, Sean Shuangquan Liu, Martin D. Meyer, Don Gotterbarn1 Research Computing Division RTI International2 3040 ...
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M arch 2018 marked the first reported pedestrian death from a self-driving car [10]. The possibility of such events caused by significant technological advances has stimulated interest in ethical issues. Many people think of these... more
M arch 2018 marked the first reported pedestrian death from a self-driving car [10]. The possibility of such events caused by significant technological advances has stimulated interest in ethical issues. Many people think of these situations as brand-new problems requiring unique solutions. The truth is we have been here before, many times. Each technological change has created ethical challenges—should we use remote-controlled technology to take lives? Should we allow computers to decide our medical treatment? Do we want unethical people to have access to computer power? The difficulty and complexity of each new technical advance’s ethical problems distract each generation from the fact that these problems are just different species of a common problem, namely the problem of ethically managing the interaction of technology with humanity. The rising interest in ethics is positive, but the belief that these issues are brand new or unique to a specific sector is potentially harmful.
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An antenna, particularly suitable for two-way communication between a communication satellite and an aircraft in flight, having a circular polarization response, comprising a T-matched dipole element producing a pattern polarized parallel... more
An antenna, particularly suitable for two-way communication between a communication satellite and an aircraft in flight, having a circular polarization response, comprising a T-matched dipole element producing a pattern polarized parallel to the axis of the aircraft fuselage, and having a slot therein which is separately excited to produce an E field orthogonally polarized with respect to the pattern of the dipole. By exciting the dipole and the slot in phase quadrature, the combined patterns provide circular polarization as is necessary for satellite communications. The shape of the antenna enclosure has a very low drag and favorable aerodynamic characteristics.
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Many elements in current social media have led to the technological devolving of the concept of truth. It is argued that some of these problems can be mitigated by the application of moral "Rules".