June 2010 Edition
Computer Science Department, University of Cape Town
| MIT Notes Home | Edition Home |
| MSc-IT Study Material June 2010 Edition Computer Science Department, University of Cape Town | MIT Notes Home | Edition Home | |
Computer systems are powerful and can cause harm financially, physically or psychologically. To be mindful of this is one of the professional duties identified in most codes of ethics and/or conduct. One approach would be to find appropriate laws and to use them. However, different laws applies in different situations for example, one law might be applicable defective product, while others to negligence. Another factor is the rate of change the technology. Typically it can take a long time to pass a piece of legislation, by which time the technology might have evolved.
In addition to relying on legislation, we can also employ a mix approach in terms of accountability, responsibility, liability and blame. We will discuss these terms individually:
This is used in its broadest meaning. It refers to the appropriate agent to response and depends on various factors. For example, in a department in a company, the head of department might be held accountable. Accountability rests with someone with the ultimate responsibility.
There are many types of responsibility:
Role Responsibility: This is analogous to duty. It is what people are expected to do within their role. For example, in Scenario 1 with LamdaMoo, players are expected to play by the rules, even if they are not stated. Most players assume that it means not taking over another players’ character.
Casual Responsibility: This is a responsibility as a result of causality. For example, X did something and caused an event to happen. Kim invests a large amount of money in the Market and cause the company to lose money, even though Kim might have done all that was required of her duty.
Blameworthy Responsibility: Kim may or may not be responsible, but she is not blameworthy. Perhaps the software was faulty – in that case, the software designer might be blameworthy if s/he failed to fulfil a role responsibility.