As Uncle Bob pointed out, software is everywhere, and without software, nothing works.
That gives us great power, and – as we all know – with great power comes great responsibility.
We have to make choices every day that affect others, sometimes in subtle and non-intuitive ways. To mention just a few:
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What logs should we capture? How does that change if we have to hand them over to the government?
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Are our hiring practices fair? Are we sure about that?
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Is there bias in our algorithms that unfairly disadvantages some groups of people?
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Is the core function of our software ethical? How about if it’s deliberately misused?
I hope to raise a few of these questions, not to provide answers – I don’t have any – but to stimulate debate.
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