
Ask HN: A discussion on Ethics - kreeWall
In light of recent events, can we please have a discussion about ethics? What does ethics mean to you, particularly when it comes to code? Where is the line? Who is responsible if something is deemed unethical? How can we educate ourselves more on these matters so that we aren&#x27;t caught in a illegal spiderweb later.
======
tlb
Ethics is too broad a topic to have a useful discussion on. Better to start
with a proposition like "programmers should refuse to participate in X", where
X is specific enough to predict the consequences of it existing or not.

~~~
kwhitefoot
> where X is specific enough to predict the consequences of it existing or
> not.

So, which X would you start with?

------
schaunwheeler
Here are some ideas:

[https://hackernoon.com/can-we-be-honest-about-ethics-
ecf5840...](https://hackernoon.com/can-we-be-honest-about-ethics-ecf5840b6e07)

[https://towardsdatascience.com/an-ethical-code-cant-be-
about...](https://towardsdatascience.com/an-ethical-code-cant-be-about-
ethics-66acaea6f16f)

[https://hackernoon.com/on-the-difficulty-of-creating-a-
data-...](https://hackernoon.com/on-the-difficulty-of-creating-a-data-science-
code-of-ethics-9ab44f71af52)

------
mgraybosch
I ascribe to the ACM Code of Ethics.

[https://ethics.acm.org/code-of-ethics/](https://ethics.acm.org/code-of-
ethics/)

In practice that means I...

* refuse to work on adtech/corporate social media

* refuse to do work for the military or with military applications

* refuse to do work for law enforcement or work that might prove useful to law enforcement

~~~
kwhitefoot
> * refuse to do work for law enforcement or work that might prove useful to
> law enforcement

Is this meant as a universal refusal or does it apply just to US law
enforcement?

My point is that law enforcement is generally regarded as necessary to the
proper functioning of society and while some of those involved in it might be
bad people the concept itself is not.

~~~
mgraybosch
Right now, US law enforcement. I haven't gotten recruiter spam offering
contracts to code for INTERPOL, for example.

I'll change my mind when driving while black is no longer punishable by
summary execution in at least half of the US.

------
kwhitefoot
> How can we educate ourselves more on these matters so that we aren't caught
> in a illegal spiderweb later.

I think you are conflating two related but distinct matters: ethics and the
law. It is perfectly possibly to behave unethically while obeying the letter
of the law and to break the law while behaving ethically.

------
zerostar07
this is a good book to educate [https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Ethics-
Russ-Shafer-Landa...](https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Ethics-Russ-Shafer-
Landau/dp/0199997233)

