Computer Professionals and Ethical Responsibility

Section 3.2.1 lists sources that focus on ethical issues in the engineering profession, while Section 3.2.2 identifies sources that examine ethical issues for professionals involved in communicating information on computer systems to end users. (Although this latter topic is not usually addressed in the standard computer ethics texts, at least not as a separate category, I believe that ethical issues affecting the accuracy and completeness of technical information for computer users deserves much closer attention than it has thus far received.) Works cited in Section 3.2.3 consider issues of professional responsibility with respect to "risks" in computing. Risks identified in this section include computer use affecting public safety and health as well as issues associated with computerized weapons designed for use in conventional and nuclear warfare. The question of professional responsibility for "blowing the whistle" is also considered in some of the sources listed in this section. Works dealing with professional responsibility from the point of view of legal liability for unreliable computer systems are cited in Section 3.2.4.