you'll be replaced with someone who can and will do it because there's rent to pay or just doesn't care.
IMHO that's an excuse to feel less bad about doing bad things. (I was just following orders; I was just doing my job). Be a person and take responsibility.
I think a better analogy for what programmers should be (though I think this viewpoint is lacking) is that of a professional engineer. More specifically the ethics of being a professional: nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics
Engineers are first and foremost responsible to the public. It's number one in their ethics:
Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
A PE can actually be personally held liable for the designs they sign off on. Why do bridges stand for decades? Why do your outlets not burn down your house if you plug in too many things? Why does your car not fold like a tissue on impact? Because Engineers "Just say no!" to designs that would endanger the safety, health, or welfare of the public (and if they don't, they won't be an engineer for much longer).
This viewpoint is severely lacking though. Not just from programmers, but from the public and regulators. It takes a majority of self-policing to be viewed with that sort of professionalism (and that only comes by saying "No" and viewing your work as more than "just business", even if someone else takes your place to do it anyway).
Unless the thing you rebel against is not causing substantial damage to the business or its users in a way that harms the business
Definitely true, though. We shouldn't fight tooth and nail over every little feature we personally dislike. For example, let's look at the anecdote in question of putting auto-play videos on websites:
Does it impact public safety? No; as far as I know, no one is hurt by auto-playing videos.
Does it impact public health? Again, no. As much as I may not like them; auto-playing videos aren't exactly giving people cancer or something.
Does it impact public welfare? This one is a little more questionable. For most people, no. But for the disabled who use screen readers; if the auto-playing video interferes with that (it might be mitigated and not interfere), then they have a case that they've been discriminated against. Their welfare has been impacted.
So should a professional refuse to put auto-playing videos on websites in the name of ethics? Right now I think that's a little grey; it's hard to say that one definitely should, but I also can't argue that one definitely shouldn't.
neither your title nor your salary makes you special
100% agree with you here! (although, I'll admit to enjoying a nice salary...) I'm currently a "Senior"; hoping to become a "Staff" one day. So what? that doesn't make me all knowing. Nor does that mean I'm better or worse than any other person.
I too find the engineer track to be more of a slippery slope than a viable alternative, especially when we're talking about personal responsibility. Engineers are seldom personally responsible, unless they are individual contractors and it's in their best interest to be as good as possible to keep their business afloat.
However, once you have a large enough organization, the responsibility is shared and it's much harder to find the responsible party (if there is one in the first place).
The industries that deal in real-world, physical objects do have their guidelines and rules which companies should adhere to if they want to be declared legal (such as construction). These rules can change for better or for worse, depending on the current political climate, but there are limits, mainly physical.
On the other hand, software has far more degrees of freedom so I don't see it being regulated in this form any time soon. Self-regulation is a nice idea in theory, but it's tightly coupled to the company's profits, so it's oftentimes subjective.
The point is not to be emotionally attached to one's work, especially when one is an employee. Sure, you are responsible to do your job well and be ethical, but there is no point in beating yourself up about the company's decisions.
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IMHO that's an excuse to feel less bad about doing bad things. (I was just following orders; I was just doing my job). Be a person and take responsibility.
I think a better analogy for what programmers should be (though I think this viewpoint is lacking) is that of a professional engineer. More specifically the ethics of being a professional: nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics
Engineers are first and foremost responsible to the public. It's number one in their ethics:
A PE can actually be personally held liable for the designs they sign off on. Why do bridges stand for decades? Why do your outlets not burn down your house if you plug in too many things? Why does your car not fold like a tissue on impact? Because Engineers "Just say no!" to designs that would endanger the safety, health, or welfare of the public (and if they don't, they won't be an engineer for much longer).
This viewpoint is severely lacking though. Not just from programmers, but from the public and regulators. It takes a majority of self-policing to be viewed with that sort of professionalism (and that only comes by saying "No" and viewing your work as more than "just business", even if someone else takes your place to do it anyway).
Definitely true, though. We shouldn't fight tooth and nail over every little feature we personally dislike. For example, let's look at the anecdote in question of putting auto-play videos on websites:
So should a professional refuse to put auto-playing videos on websites in the name of ethics? Right now I think that's a little grey; it's hard to say that one definitely should, but I also can't argue that one definitely shouldn't.
100% agree with you here! (although, I'll admit to enjoying a nice salary...) I'm currently a "Senior"; hoping to become a "Staff" one day. So what? that doesn't make me all knowing. Nor does that mean I'm better or worse than any other person.
I too find the engineer track to be more of a slippery slope than a viable alternative, especially when we're talking about personal responsibility. Engineers are seldom personally responsible, unless they are individual contractors and it's in their best interest to be as good as possible to keep their business afloat.
However, once you have a large enough organization, the responsibility is shared and it's much harder to find the responsible party (if there is one in the first place).
The industries that deal in real-world, physical objects do have their guidelines and rules which companies should adhere to if they want to be declared legal (such as construction). These rules can change for better or for worse, depending on the current political climate, but there are limits, mainly physical.
On the other hand, software has far more degrees of freedom so I don't see it being regulated in this form any time soon. Self-regulation is a nice idea in theory, but it's tightly coupled to the company's profits, so it's oftentimes subjective.
The point is not to be emotionally attached to one's work, especially when one is an employee. Sure, you are responsible to do your job well and be ethical, but there is no point in beating yourself up about the company's decisions.