Management and the Technology Professional – B302

Development of the Sony BMG music CD rootkit

Following is a sample answer for this case study:

As the lead developer of First4Internet, the only reason that would have stopped me from developing the rootkit software is the sense of doing something wrong. Although I'm aware that there are legislation such as the Computer Misuse Act and codes of conduct by organizations such as the BCS, they are often overshadowed by more active factors such as financial targets, customer satisfaction, business competition and the attraction of new technology.

Having been a lead developer at several companies, I understand how difficult it might have been to resist the temptation of being involved with a technically challenging project such as rootkit software. Lead developers often set the technical ambition for the development team. The appetite for technical risk is necessary in order to develop new skills and new products. The amount of technical risk taken by a lead developer and how a that person handles the consequences sets a precedent for the rest of the development team. The challenge for a lead developer is learning to draw the line between taking a technical risk and tempting fate.

The best warning system is often the personal ethics of the lead developer. A simple, but effective, test of the warning system is to ask whether I would use or install that software product on my own computer. I don't want viruses installed on my computer and I don't want pop-up ads to appear on my web browser. It makes sense that I should not develop rootkit software.

The ethics contained within legislation and codes of conduct are passive, they inform us about possible unethical choices and deter potential unethical behavior. However, they are not barriers that can stop unethical actions. The only form of ethics that can actively stop me from performing an unethical action is my own sense of morality. I must choose not to develop software that may cause damage other people's property or be used for criminal purposes. I must choose to be ethical.

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