You will study and analyze the assigned ethics scenario from Baase, Chapter 9, and write report covering the following topics. - What is (are) the ethical issue(s) that need(s) to be addressed - risks, issues, problems, consequences? - Are there legal ramifications & consequences, if so how are they different from the ethical ramifications & consequences? - Who are the stakeholders - benefits, impact? - Who were the decision makers and What were their responsibilities? - What actions were taken? Were they appropriate? - What were the alternatives? - References must be a part of the report, included in Apendix A 9.3.9 Going Public Suppose you are a member of a team working on a computer-controlled crashavoidance system for automobiles. You think the system has a flaw that could endanger people. The project manager does not seem concerned and expects to announce completion of the project soon. Do you have an ethical obligation to do something? Given the potential consequences, yes (see SE Code 1.04; ACM Code 1.2, 2.5). We consider a variety of options. First, at a minimum, discuss your concerns with the project manager. Voicing your concerns is admirable and obligatory. It is also good for your company. Internal "whistleblowing" can help protect the company, as well as the public, from all the negative consequences of releasing a dangerous product. If the manager decides to proceed as planned with no examination of the problem, your next option is to go to someone higher up in the company. If no one with authority in the company is willing to investigate your concerns, you have a more difficult dilemma. You now have the option of going outside the company to the customer, to the news media, or to a government agency. There is personal risk of course: you might lose your job. There is also the ethical issue of the damage you might do to your company and, ultimately, to the people who would benefit from the system. You might be mistaken. Or you might be correct, but your method of whistleblowing might produce negative publicity that kills a potentially valuable and fixable project. As the ACM Code (1.2) says, "[M]isguided reporting of violations can, itself, be harmful." At this point, it is a good idea to consider whether you are confident that you have the expertise to assess the risk. It could help to discuss the problem with other professionals. If you conclude that the management decision was an acceptable one (and that you are not letting your concern for keeping your job sway your conclusion), this might be the point at which to drop the issue. If you are convinced that the flaw is real, or if you are aware of a careless, irresponsible attitude among the company managers, then you must go further (SE Code 6.13). You are not an uninvolved bystander, for whom the question of ethical obligation might be more fuzzy. The project pays your salary. You are part of the team; you are a participant. Note, also, that this is the kind of situation suggested in the SE Code 2.05, where you may violate a confidentiality agreement. There have been several dramatic cases where professionals faced this difficult situation. Computer engineers who worked on the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) worried about the safety of the software designed to control the trains. Although they tried for many months, they were not successful in their attempts to convince their managers to make changes. Eventually, a newspaper published some of their critical memos and reports. The engineers were fired. During the next few years, several 9.3 Scenarios 423 crashes occurred, and there were public investigations and numerous recommendations made for improving safety of the system.7 One of the BART engineers made these comments about the process: If there is something that ought to be corrected inside an organization, the most effective way to do it is to do it within the organization and exhaust all possibilities there . . . you might have to go to the extreme of publishing these things, but you should never start that way.8 It is important, for practical and ethical reasons, to keep complete and accurate record of your attempts to bring attention to the problem and the responses from the people you approach. The record protects you and others who behave responsibly and could help avoid baseless accusations later.