Professional Ethics & Standards Flashcards

Which scenario BEST illustrates a violation of professional confidentiality by an application developer?

Answer: Discussing client database schemas with a friend outside the company

Disclosing client-specific technical details to unauthorized parties outside the organization is a direct breach of professional confidentiality.

An open-source license requires that any modifications be released under the same license. A developer incorporates the library into a proprietary product without complying. This violates:

Answer: Intellectual property and licensing obligations

Copyleft open-source licenses such as GPL impose binding legal and ethical obligations to release derivative works under the same terms.

The concept of 'informed consent' in software applications PRIMARILY means that:

Answer: Users are clearly informed about data collection and agree before processing occurs

Informed consent requires that users receive clear, understandable information about how their data will be used and actively agree before collection begins.

A developer notices that a colleague is committing code under a false identity to circumvent audit trails. Ethically, the developer should:

Answer: Report the behavior through the appropriate ethics or compliance channel

Circumventing audit trails undermines accountability; the ethical obligation is to report such misconduct through established compliance or ethics channels.

Which practice BEST supports the ethical standard of transparency in software development?

Answer: Providing stakeholders with accurate project status reports including known risks

Transparency requires honest and complete communication about project status, defects, and risks to enable informed decision-making by stakeholders.

When a developer's personal moral values conflict with a lawful but ethically questionable project, the MOST professional response is to:

Answer: Raise concerns through appropriate internal channels and, if unresolved, consider recusal or resignation

Professional ethics calls for raising concerns internally first; if the conflict remains irresolvable, recusal or resignation preserves personal integrity without causing unnecessary harm.

According to the IEEE-CS/ACM Software Engineering Code of Ethics, software engineers shall act in a manner consistent with the PUBLIC INTEREST, which includes:

Answer: Approving software only when it is safe, meets specifications, and passes appropriate testing

The public interest principle requires software engineers to certify work only when it meets quality, safety, and specification standards that protect end users.