Lecture 15:

Ethics

CS 136: Spring 2024

Katie Keith

• Midterm this Thurs, 6-7:30 or 8-9:30 in Bronfman auditorium
• Midterm details here
• Midterm Review: Open Q&A during lab sessions
• Wednesday 1-4pm and Thursday 1-4pm
• Attend any sessions you would like to and are able
• Evening TA hours( outside of these sessions) will continue (through and including) Wednesday evening.

📣 Announcements

• Ethics of developing code

Why are we discussing this now?

I believe it’s important to not only teach you technical skills but think about how and why you should wield those technical skills.

🎯 Today’s Learning Objectives

Ground Rules for Ethical Discussions

• Please close laptops and commit to engaging in discussion
• Maintain confidentiality
• Listen with the intent to learn
• Suspend judgment
• Experience discomfort
• Step up, step back
• Expect and accept non-closure

Adapted from ACL 2020 tutorial

Fictional case study!

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Later this lecture: Analogies to real-world case study.

💡Think-pair-share

Two ethical frameworks

• Consequentialism (focus on the ends)
• Deontology (focus on the means)

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A few things to keep in mind:

• Both of these frameworks can be taken to the extremes
• Most disagreements are between people who align with different frameworks
• Ethical pathways forward typically blend the two

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Consequentialism

Balance sheet

Consequentialists believe that and act is “right” if and only if the benefits outweigh the harms.

Jeremy Bentham

(1748-1832)

John Stuart Mill

(1806-1873)

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Utilitarianism

Deontology

Deontologists believe that and act is “right” if and only if that action itself adheres to a set of predefined “right” principles.

Immanuel Kant

(1724-1804)

Whole group

Let’s label our group arguments as aligning more with Consequentialism or Deontology.

Consequentialism

Deontology

💡Think-pair-share

Small group discussions

Apple vs. FBI (2016):

• After San Bernardino shooting, the FBI sought access to the shooter's iPhone 5C.
• Unable to bypass the device's encryption, the FBI obtained a court order compelling Apple to create a modified version of iOS to disable certain security features, effectively creating a backdoor.
• Apple contested this order, arguing that complying would undermine user privacy and set a dangerous precedent.

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Discussion: Suppose the FBI approach you, a young software developer at Apple and offer you compensation to create this backdoor (against your manager and CEO’s orders).

What would you do? Why?

💡Think-pair-share

Small group discussions

1. Read the ACM’s “Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct” and update your arguments.
2. Do you find yourself aligning more with one ethical framework than the other?

Consequentialism

Deontology

💡Think-pair-share