1You discover a bug that occasionally disables the fire alarm feature, but management wants to release on time.
This situation raises concerns about public safety. IEEE Canon 1 emphasizes prioritizing public welfare, while ACM 1.2 focuses on avoiding harm. From a deontological perspective, there is a duty to protect users regardless of deadlines. Utilitarian reasoning suggests that fixing the bug could prevent serious injury or loss of life. From the viewpoint of virtue ethics, a responsible engineer would not ignore safety risks. Considering these perspectives, addressing the bug before release appears ethically justified.
2Marketing asks you to collect user location data without clearly informing users.
This issue involves privacy and honesty. IEEE Canon 3 stresses truthful communication, and ACM 1.3 emphasizes trustworthiness. From a deontological standpoint, collecting data without consent violates the duty to be transparent. Utilitarian reasoning suggests that loss of user trust could harm many people. Virtue ethics highlights integrity as an important trait. Taken together, requiring informed consent is the more ethical course of action.
3A vendor owned by a family member is bidding on your project, and your manager says to stay silent.
This situation presents a conflict of interest. IEEE Canon 2 requires disclosure of conflicts, and ACM 1.3 stresses honesty. Deontologically, remaining silent would violate a duty to be transparent. From a utilitarian perspective, disclosure promotes fairness and trust in the decision-making process. Virtue ethics supports honesty as good character. These considerations suggest that disclosing the relationship is ethically appropriate.
4A medical system skipped edge-case tests to meet deadlines.
This raises concerns about patient safety. IEEE Canon 1 prioritizes public safety, and ACM 1.2 emphasizes avoiding harm. From a deontological view, releasing an inadequately tested system violates the duty to protect patients. Utilitarian reasoning highlights the widespread harm that could result from system failure. Virtue ethics favors responsibility and caution. Completing the tests before release appears ethically justified.
5An automated system can override humans but has no manual emergency override.
This issue involves loss of human control and safety. IEEE Canon 1 stresses safety protections, and ACM 1.2 focuses on harm prevention. Deontologically, safeguards are a necessary duty. Utilitarian reasoning suggests that a manual override could prevent catastrophic outcomes. Virtue ethics values prudence and foresight. Adding a manual override appears ethically reasonable.
6You are told to remove system limitations from user manuals.
This situation concerns dishonesty. IEEE Canon 3 and ACM 1.3 both require truthful reporting. From a deontological perspective, misleading users violates the duty to be honest. Utilitarian reasoning suggests that inaccurate documentation may lead to misuse and harm. Virtue ethics emphasizes integrity. Providing accurate documentation is the ethically sound choice.
7Management ignores your internal safety report and deployment is imminent.
The ethical issue here is preventing serious harm. IEEE Canon 1 prioritizes public safety, and ACM 1.2 emphasizes avoiding harm. Deontologically, there is a duty to act when danger is ignored. Utilitarian reasoning suggests that whistleblowing could protect many people. Virtue ethics highlights courage. External reporting may therefore be ethically justified.
8A safety system relies on only one sensor, and redundancy is rejected due to cost.
This situation involves system reliability. IEEE Canon 1 stresses safe system design, and ACM 1.2 focuses on harm prevention. Deontologically, ensuring reliability can be seen as a duty. Utilitarian reasoning suggests redundancy reduces the risk of catastrophic failure. Virtue ethics values responsibility. Adding redundancy appears ethically justified.
9A supplier offers gifts in exchange for approving low-quality parts.
This raises the issue of bribery and integrity. IEEE Canon 5 explicitly forbids bribery, while ACM 1.3 emphasizes trustworthiness. From a deontological perspective, accepting bribes is inherently wrong. Utilitarian reasoning suggests that bribery increases system risk and potential harm. Virtue ethics rejects corrupt behavior. Refusing the offer is ethically appropriate.
10An AI hiring system disadvantages certain groups, but fixing it reduces efficiency.
This situation concerns fairness and harm. IEEE Canon 1 emphasizes public welfare, and ACM 1.1 promotes societal well-being. Deontologically, discrimination is unethical. Utilitarian reasoning suggests that fairness benefits society in the long term, even at some cost. Virtue ethics values justice. Addressing bias appears ethically justified.
11A transit app shows incorrect arrival times, but fixing it misses a deadline.
This issue involves misinformation. IEEE Canon 3 stresses honesty, and ACM 1.2 focuses on avoiding harm. Deontologically, providing accurate information is a duty. Utilitarian reasoning highlights the benefit to commuters of reliable data. Virtue ethics values responsibility. Fixing the bug despite deadline pressure seems ethically reasonable.
12A serious security flaw is dismissed as unlikely to be exploited.
This concerns user protection. IEEE Canon 1 prioritizes safety, and ACM 1.2 emphasizes harm prevention. Deontologically, ignoring known risks violates ethical duty. Utilitarian reasoning suggests fixing the flaw prevents significant potential damage. Virtue ethics values diligence. Addressing the vulnerability is ethically justified.
13You are asked to manipulate performance data for a demo.
This raises the issue of falsification. IEEE Canon 3 and ACM 1.3 require honesty and trustworthiness. From a deontological perspective, falsifying data is unethical. Utilitarian reasoning suggests deception damages trust in the long run. Virtue ethics values integrity. Keeping data accurate is the ethical choice.
14You are assigned a safety-critical task beyond your expertise.
This concerns professional competence. IEEE Canon 6 emphasizes working within one’s qualifications, and ACM 2.6 stresses responsibility. Deontologically, accepting work beyond competence may violate duty. Utilitarian reasoning suggests qualified work reduces risk. Virtue ethics values humility. Seeking training or supervision is ethically appropriate.
15Management tells you not to report a system failure.
This situation involves covering up harm. IEEE Canon 1 prioritizes safety, and ACM 1.3 emphasizes honesty. Deontologically, concealment is unethical. Utilitarian reasoning suggests reporting prevents future failures. Virtue ethics highlights courage. Reporting the incident appears ethically justified.
16Redundancy is removed to cut costs.
This raises the issue of cost versus safety. IEEE Canon 1 emphasizes safety first, and ACM 1.2 focuses on harm avoidance. Deontologically, safety should not be compromised. Utilitarian reasoning suggests redundancy prevents disasters. Virtue ethics values prudence. Keeping redundancy is ethically reasonable.
17The company blames users for failures caused by poor UI.
This involves misrepresentation. IEEE Canon 3 and ACM 1.3 emphasize honesty and transparency. Deontologically, shifting blame is unethical. Utilitarian reasoning suggests improving UI reduces harm. Virtue ethics values accountability. Acknowledging the design flaw is ethically justified.
18Your system increases pollution but boosts efficiency.
This concerns environmental harm. IEEE Canon 1 includes societal welfare, and ACM 1.1 promotes human well-being. Deontologically, causing harm is wrong. Utilitarian reasoning suggests pollution negatively affects many people. Virtue ethics values responsibility. Reducing environmental impact is ethically appropriate.
19System alerts were removed, allowing silent failures.
This issue involves uninformed users. IEEE Canon 1 emphasizes proper warnings, and ACM 1.2 focuses on risk reduction. Deontologically, users have a right to be informed. Utilitarian reasoning suggests alerts prevent accidents. Virtue ethics values honesty. Restoring alerts is ethically justified.
20Reporting an ethical violation could cost you your job.
This situation involves duty versus self-interest. IEEE Canon 1 prioritizes public safety, and ACM 1.2 emphasizes harm prevention. Deontologically, duty to others may outweigh personal risk. Utilitarian reasoning suggests reporting protects many people. Virtue ethics values courage. Reporting the violation appears ethically justified.