HACKER Q&A
📣 eropatori

Do you know the ethics of Developers?


Do you know what should go in that last point?

Do you believe others (developers or not) know?

- Doctors: do no harm.

- Lawyers: defend the client, but do not lie to the court.

- Judges: be impartial.

- Journalists: verify before publishing. protect sources.

- Developers: ??????


  👤 vintagedave Accepted Answer ✓
I don't, but I share concerns. When we see dark patterns, or work on surveillance software (like Facebook), or similar, I think: so many of these devs excuse it as just a job, supporting their family, while actively making the world worse.

So for ethics I'd suggest something that treats software as infrastructure that runs the world, not in an engineering sense but an ethical sense.

I don't yet know how to capture that in three to eight words like your examples.


👤 psybrg-prtcls
Be genuinely helpful

👤 __patchbit__
- Developers: lift quality above the statistical noise floor of AI slop

👤 david_allison
https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics

1.1 Contribute to society and to human well-being, acknowledging that all people are stakeholders in computing.

1.2 Avoid harm.

1.3 Be honest and trustworthy.

1.4 Be fair and take action not to discriminate.

1.5 Respect the work required to produce new ideas, inventions, creative works, and computing artifacts.

1.6 Respect privacy.

1.7 Honor confidentiality.

2.1 Strive to achieve high quality in both the processes and products of professional work.

2.2 Maintain high standards of professional competence, conduct, and ethical practice.

2.3 Know and respect existing rules pertaining to professional work.

2.4 Accept and provide appropriate professional review.

2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems and their impacts, including analysis of possible risks.

2.6 Perform work only in areas of competence.

2.7 Foster public awareness and understanding of computing, related technologies, and their consequences.

2.8 Access computing and communication resources only when authorized or when compelled by the public good.

2.9 Design and implement systems that are robustly and usably secure.

3.1 Ensure that the public good is the central concern during all professional computing work.

3.2 Articulate, encourage acceptance of, and evaluate fulfillment of social responsibilities by members of the organization or group.

3.3 Manage personnel and resources to enhance the quality of working life.

3.4 Articulate, apply, and support policies and processes that reflect the principles of the Code.

3.5 Create opportunities for members of the organization or group to grow as professionals.

3.6 Use care when modifying or retiring systems.

3.7 Recognize and take special care of systems that become integrated into the infrastructure of society.

4.1 Uphold, promote, and respect the principles of the Code.

4.2 Treat violations of the Code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM.


👤 late_night_fix
Developers:Someone will eventually depend upon what you didn't think about.