The Social Responsibility of Software Development

Our world is increasingly running on software. As a software developer, for better or worse (it’s up to you), you’re building the fabric of our society, tomorrow’s world.

Consider the following often-discussed examples. The filters you build in a social networking platform might create digital bubbles that reinforce a group's beliefs instead of allowing it to see others' opinions. This polarizes society and spreads hatred. Car software might protect the interests of the car manufacturer you work for against the law, the environment, or the car's occupants. The dating site's algorithms you design might increase racial segregation and social-class divisions. (You get to play God with the human gene pool.) Your poorly designed user interface can cause people hardship, while your incorrect code can harm human life or damage property. The console game you create might be purposely designed to be highly addictive. How you route job ads can influence disadvantaged groups' work opportunities.

What should you do?

• Learn: code of ethics, other subjects like philosophy, political science, sociology, ethics

• Think: ask yourself questions about the wider impact of your work

• Act: strive to do good, speak up if you encounter something harmful

• Educate: help, build bridges, discuss, educate others, ...

• Connect: write free software, collaborate with external organizations, etc.

Acquaint yourself with the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice. Study subjects besides technology: philosophy, political science, sociology, ethics, and the arts.

Contemplate the wider repercussions of what you’re working on. What will happen when your shiny prototype gets widely deployed or stops being maintained? Will your new web-based service disadvantage a particular minority? What if all the data you’re gathering falls into the hands of organized crime or a totalitarian government? Is the cyberweapon you’re developing more likely to be used for defense or for offensive actions and terrorism that can hurt countless civilians? What if criminals can gain control of the law-enforcement backdoor access you’re providing? How will your new social-interaction feature affect children or families?

Strive to design and implement the software you work on so that it becomes a force for good rather than evil. Don’t work for organizations whose mission is intrinsically detrimental to society. If your organization develops software that will harm society, speak up.

Also, if you see that your organization develops harmful software, try bringing constructive ideas to the table. You can argue that in the medium or long term, being socially responsible might bene t your organization. Or, you can come up with win–win options: software that’s good for both your organization and society.

Help by uncovering, explaining, and publicizing any issues you recognize. Build bridges with people in other domains, such as medical professionals, who might comprehend the domain’s ethics but might not realize the potential, choices, and ethical issues hidden underneath the technology. Discuss with your colleagues, post in social networks, write articles, and take a stance in daily interactions.

Write free software that could help our world become a better place. Work with think tanks, civil-society organizations, and political parties to draft and promote sensible policies. Volunteer for of ce and, it should go without saying, get out and vote!

Part of being human is making moral choices in everything we do: from the detergent we buy, to the transportation we use to get to work, to the software we develop.

If our children ask us in a few years what we were doing when the lights went dark, responses such as “I didn’t know these horrors were happening” or “I was just doing my job” (“I was just following orders”) won’t cut it.