Ethical Obligations

MaxwellStreet writes "There's a great editorial on msnbc.com about the ethical dilemma of whether or not a system administrator (or the business they work for) is obligated to disclose credit card number theft from their machines. What does everyone here think?"

Comments

Maybe an admin code of ethics?

[inkswamp]

Dealing with this kind of ethical quandry isn't an admin's job and yet it seems that they end up stuck. In other professions where we have similar possible ethical dilemmas (medical, legal, etc.) there are established and deeply entrenched codes of ethics to which practitioners are expected, even by employers and associates, to adhere. Why don't system administrators have such a thing?

I think the revelation in the article that a business would prefer to sweep such a theft under the rug is frightening and opens the door to all kinds of problems. Maybe making employers understand that their admins are obligated by their own professional standards to expose this kind of thing will effect a positive change. I can't imagine what hiding it will achieve. You don't have to think hard to come up with examples of past situations where hiding "undesireable" information caused more problems than it solved. We're seeing the end results of that very attitude playing itself out with Enron/Arthur Andersen as well as the Catholic church right now.

Admins should be expected to expose this kind of thing with the understanding that doing so will avoid bigger and worse problems down the road. It should be viewed as a service to the public which takes priority over protecting petty business interests.

We will either learn from history or repeat it... again.

--Rick