A roadmap for ethics-aware software engineering

Abstract

Today's software is highly intertwined with our lives, and it possesses an increasing ability to act and influence us. Besides the renown example of self-driving cars and their potential harmfulness, more mundane software such as social networks can introduce bias, break privacy preferences, lead to digital addiction, etc. Additionally, the software engineering (SE) process itself is highly affected by ethical issues, such as diversity and business ethics. This paper introduces ethics-aware SE, a version of SE in which the ethical values of the stakeholders (including developers and users) are captured, analyzed, and reflected in software specifications and in the SE processes. We propose an analytical framework that assists stakeholders in analyzing ethical issues in terms of subject (software artifact or SE process), relevant value (diversity, privacy, autonomy, . . . ), and threatened object (user, developer, . . . ). We also define a roadmap that illustrates the necessary steps for the SE research and practice community in order to fully realize ethics-aware SE.

Addressing evolving requirements faced by the software industry

“…Not in vain, recently ethics has been identified as a software design concern . As a result of this, there are calls for ethics‐aware software engineering and even specific code of ethics for green issues in green software engineering. The paper presented in the special issue is contributing to the trend by including aspects like health and wellbeing.…”

Moderation Effect of Software Engineers’ Emotional Intelligence (EQ) between their Work Ethics and their Work Performance

“…Development of software has become a core element in today's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based society [1] [2]. Governments, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, national security, transportation, and many other sectors are using systems that involve software.…”

“…Many of the services these systems provide can be accessed online from a distance which is crucial during the current pandemic [3]. Therefore, it can be said that the software engineers behind the development of these software are impacting society greatly [1] [2] [4]. As they have the power to affect society, they also have a duty to exercise that power responsibly and ethically or it could cause widespread damage.…”

Health, safety, and well‐being through ethical behaviours in computer and information systems development and deployment

“…When computer professionals begin work, they typically enter into relationships with one or several of the following: employers, clients, co‐professionals (or the profession as a whole), and the public . Literature reviews suggest that with regards to IS development and implementation projects, more often than not, the relationship between the professional and the client is predominant, which often invokes ethical and professional issues that can determine the success or failure of such projects . Clients are heavily dependent on software and hardware suppliers for accurate, honest, and open information, alongside sound and objective advice.…”

“…1 Literature reviews suggest that with regards to IS development and implementation projects, more often than not, the relationship between the professional and the client is predominant, which often invokes ethical and professional issues that can determine the success or failure of such projects. [2][3][4][5][6] Clients are heavily dependent on software and hardware suppliers for accurate, honest, and open information, alongside sound and objective advice. This dependence creates special obligations for the vendor to be conscientious about advising clients.Health, safety, and the well-being of end users of the systems we develop as engineers are a problematic challenge for countless developers and organisations.…”