Code Is Not Neutral: Ethics for Developers

Are you responsible for the code you write? Ask the Volkswagen engineer who’s in prison for creating software that allowed their cars to “cheat” on emissions tests. Or think of the ethical issues if you’re programming IoT devices that spy on users and report back to the company. What about social networks that allow users’ data to be stolen? Or self-driving cars that have to choose which lives to save in a crash? Developers make all of these things happen. It’s easy to forget that the code you write affects real humans. We need to be aware of how much power we’ve been given and start taking responsibility for what we build.