Ethics Homework
CSE 423, Spring 2007

Points:      5% of course grade

Due:          TBA, approximately March 26

 

You are to pick a topic from one of the six subjects listed on the Links to Ethics-Related Web Pages referenced and using any ethics codes from the four codes of ethics referenced below, write about the ethics codes conflicts. You are to discuss the ethics issues from the points of view of both parties. In particular for the topic on:

 

Intel floating point bug you should consider, from an Intel employee point of view, ethics codes related to minimizing the importance of the bug and from an outside user or computer vendor point of view, the ethics codes related to exposing the bug.

 

Music, video and other copyrighted file sharing you should consider, from the recording industry and movie company point of view, the ethics of attempting to prosecute users and suppliers of the copyrighted material and from the users and facilitators points of view, the ethics of making the material available and using the material.

 

Hewlett Packard use of pretext mechanism to find source of corporate leaks you should consider, from the HP management point of view, the ethics of using pretexting to hunt for the source of corporate management leaks and from the point of view of the HP employee who leaked the information, the ethics of leaking it. You can assume he felt the information was important for the public to know.

 

Google vs. US Government case on turning over Google usage records information you should consider, from the Google point of view, the ethics of not turning over the information and from the US Government point of view, the ethics of requesting it.

 

Microsoft mechanisms to increase Internet Explorer usage you should consider, from a Microsoft employee point of view, ethics codes related to making it difficult to remove Internet Explorer from a computer or the IE icon from the desktop window and from a computer vendor or user point of view, the ethics codes related to doing these things.

 

Distribution of the Unix Level VI source code you should consider, from an AT&T employee viewpoint, the ethics of prohibiting sale and distribution of a book containing the Unix source code and commentary on it and from John Lions’ point of view, the ethics of giving it away.

 

Ethics Write-up Rules

  • Typed, single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font

 

Other Important Things

  • Style and formatting count – it’s got to be easy to read

 

References

1. ACM, IEEE, NSPE and SW Engineering Codes of Ethics on Ethics Material page on class website.

2. Links to Ethics-Related Web Pages on Ethics Material page on class website.