Whistleblowing Computer Professional Edward Joseph Snowden is an American comput
ID: 334178 • Letter: W
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Whistleblowing Computer Professional Edward Joseph Snowden is an American computer professional, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee, and former contractor for the United States government who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) to The Guardian and The Washington Post in June 2013. His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs many run by the NSA (including the PRISM surveillance program) and the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance with the cooperation of telecommunication companies and European governments. Questions: a. Did the computer professional fulfill his ethical obligation by informing the news agencies? b. If you were that computer professional, how would you respond to this situation? Explain your answer using the Code of Ethics provided below Relevant Code of Ethics: I. "Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties." 2. "Engineers shall at all times recognize that their primary obligation is to protect the safety, health, property and welfare of the public. If their professional judgment is overruled under circumstances where the safety, health, property or welfare of the public are endangered, they shall notify their employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate 3. "Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees." 4 "Engineers shall not complete, sign, or seal plans andor specifications that are not of a design safe to the public health and welfare and in conformity with accepted engineering standards. If the client or employer insists on such unprofessional conduct, they shall notify the proper authorities and withdraw from further service on the project."Explanation / Answer
DID THE COMPUTER PROFESSIONAL FULFILL HIS ETHICAL OBLIGATION BY INFORMING THE NEWS AGENSIES?
Whistleblower and ex-NSA employee Edward Snowden has criticized a new anti-terror law introduced on Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, referring it as "repressive" and noting that it is a "dark day for Russia."
The new legislation signed by Putin would compel the country's telephone carriers and Internet providers to record and store the private communications of each and every one of their customers for six months – and turn them over to the government if requested.
The data collected on customers would include phone calls, text messages, photographs, and Internet activities that would be stored for six months, and "metadata" would be stored up to 3 years.
Moreover, Instant messaging services that make use of encryption, including WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber, could face heavy fines of thousands of pounds if these services continue to operate in Russia without handing over their encryption keys to the government.
"Putin has signed a repressive new law that violates not only human rights but common sense. A dark day for Russia," Snowden wrote on Twitter.
Snowden is responsible for revealing global mass surveillance programs by leaking NSA classified documents back in June 2013 before finding asylum in Russia.
The activist explained that the new Russian law, in addition to "political and constitutional consequences," would cost telecommunications providers over $30 Billion to implement the new law, which is more than they can afford.
The CEO of Russia’s second-largest telecom company Megaton told a local newspaper Thursday that he would rather pay the government higher taxes than spend over $3 Billion yearly on infrastructure upgrades.
"Well be unable to fulfill the requirements of law in the way that it exists at present," said Megaton CEO Sergey Soldatenkov, adding that his company only generates an annual profit of $780 Million.
"When we saw the provisions of the bill, we really hoped that it will not be accepted. I believe we have done everything possible to inform deputies, Federation Council [and] the government that the bill in this form is impossible," Soldatenkov added.
A spokesperson for Tele2, another Russian telecom company, said it might have to raise prices threefold or more in order to accommodate the new law, The WSJ reported.
The Russian government will establish the precise requirements of the new legislation, according to the Kremlin website.
This frightening new legislation comes into force on July 20th.
IF YOU WERE THAT COMPUTER PROFESSIONAL, HOW WOULD HOW RESPOND TO THIS SITUATION? EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER USING THE CODE OF ETHICS
A code of ethics and professional conduct outlines the ethical principles that govern decisions and behavior at a company or organization. They give general outlines of how employees should behave, as well as specific guidance for handling issues like harassment, safety, and conflicts of interest
In most cases businesses will combine both of these documents into one as there is significant overlap between them. It is rare to find businesses that have two separate policies. Whilst they are technically different documents, employees will have less difficulty recalling important points around conduct and ethics if they have a single document to refer to.
1. Be inclusive.
We welcome and support people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to members of any sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, social and economic class, educational level, color, immigration status, sex, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
2. Be considerate.
We all depend on each other to produce the best work we can as a company. Your decisions will affect clients and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions.
3. Be respectful.
We won't all agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for disrespectful behavior. We will all experience frustration from time to time, but we cannot allow that frustration become personal attacks. An environment where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive or creative one.
4. Choose your words carefully.
Always conduct yourself professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down others. Harassment and exclusionary behavior aren't acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
5. Don't harass.
In general, if someone asks you to stop something, then stop. When we disagree, try to understand why. Differences of opinion and disagreements are mostly unavoidable. What is important is that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively.
6. Make differences into strengths.
We can find strength in diversity. Different people have different perspectives on issues, and that can be valuable for solving problems or generating new ideas. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that we all make mistakes, and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere.
It certainly applies to what I would hope computer professionals would agree are their responsibilities. My only open question is whether there are any strict ethical guidelines for the profession. Certainly there are some, by various software engineering and design organizations, but each is a little different and none of them truly globally accepted. I think using this summary of responsibilities that we can conclude that computer professionals could use Utilitarian theories of benefiting the majority of society as a good reference poin
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