Legal, but possibly *unethical* engineering and/or computer related jobs?

[Paladin3]

You will have to search for it, but I heard a news story sometime in the last six months about a school district that issued its high school students laptop computers to take home. The district quietly installed remote tracking software, allegedly so they could find stolen laptops, but didn't tell anyone. Then they remotely turned on the laptops built-in web cameras and started taking photos and screen grabs every 15 minutes whenever they where on.

IIRC, it was someone in IT who came forward when some of the images were of teens in various states of undress in their bedrooms. I understand the district is up to their armpits in violation of privacy lawsuits now.

All this is from memory, so you'd have to find the story and check the facts. I don't think there is anything illegal about the tracking software being installed, but I would argue that doing so without telling the students and their parents is unethical. Once the district turned on the web cameras and started taking photos it definitely crossed into illegal behavior.

 

[Binarycow]

Abortion doctors provide a valuable service and should be commended.

don't mean to pick a fight with you, dude, but it could have been you (or me) that got aborted. We then wouldn't be here to get philosophical about it, one way or another.

Aborting a mind and body healthy life is just pure evil, IMO.

 

[ichy]

don't mean to pick a fight with you, dude, but it could have been you (or me) that got aborted. We then wouldn't be here to get philosophical about it, one way or another.

That makes no sense at all. If our parents had chosen abstinence we wouldn't be here to talk about it either.

 

[waggy]

You will have to search for it, but I heard a news story sometime in the last six months about a school district that issued its high school students laptop computers to take home. The district quietly installed remote tracking software, allegedly so they could find stolen laptops, but didn't tell anyone. Then they remotely turned on the laptops built-in web cameras and started taking photos and screen grabs every 15 minutes whenever they where on.

IIRC, it was someone in IT who came forward when some of the images were of teens in various states of undress in their bedrooms. I understand the district is up to their armpits in violation of privacy lawsuits now.

All this is from memory, so you'd have to find the story and check the facts. I don't think there is anything illegal about the tracking software being installed, but I would argue that doing so without telling the students and their parents is unethical. Once the district turned on the web cameras and started taking photos it definitely crossed into illegal behavior.

worst part of that is the school didn't have charges brought up on them.

 

[Binarycow]

That makes no sense at all. If our parents had chosen abstinence we wouldn't be here to talk about it either.

I believe there's a bit of a difference between abstinence and abortion.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

payday loans

 

[Mike Gayner]

don't mean to pick a fight with you, dude, but it could have been you (or me) that got aborted. We then wouldn't be here to get philosophical about it, one way or another.

Aborting a mind and body healthy life is just pure evil, IMO.

Think about all the potential kids you shoot off into a tissue each morning. That's, like, genocide bro.

 

[mpo]

Just about half the software contracts I've ever purchased.

Me: I need software that does X, Y, Z in a, b, c environment.
Vendor: We are the leader in X, Y, Z. That environment is our strength.
Me: You'll guarantee the contract with no extensions or changes in scope of service.
Vendor: We are the leader for a reason.
Me: (repeat capabilities and caveat 40 different ways)
Vendor: (Yes, we can do it x40)

Fast forward 6 months.

Me: Mr. Vendor, your software is unable to connect to Y, under environment c. This was specified under the contract. You said it would work out of the box.
Vendor: Oh, I should have stated that Y is in beta, the features aren't expected for two releases. Besides, nobody uses that feature. It isn't important. I could find a workaround for $xxxx next year. I'll have to subcontract that out.

Me: Typical....

 

[Binarycow]

Think about all the potential kids you shoot off into a tissue each morning. That's, like, genocide bro.

so sperms are children now? BTW, I haven't used tissue for a long while now. That's the advantage of being married, so speak for yourself

 

[torpid]

Nefarious internet advertising programmer. "Your computer is at risk!"

IMO, Firesheep was ethically dubious.

 

[Gibson486]

Just about half the software contracts I've ever purchased.

Me: I need software that does X, Y, Z in a, b, c environment.
Vendor: We are the leader in X, Y, Z. That environment is our strength.
Me: You'll guarantee the contract with no extensions or changes in scope of service.
Vendor: We are the leader for a reason.
Me: (repeat capabilities and caveat 40 different ways)
Vendor: (Yes, we can do it x40)

Fast forward 6 months.

Me: Mr. Vendor, your software is unable to connect to Y, under environment c. This was specified under the contract. You said it would work out of the box.
Vendor: Oh, I should have stated that Y is in beta, the features aren't expected for two releases. Besides, nobody uses that feature. It isn't important. I could find a workaround for $xxxx next year. I'll have to subcontract that out.

Me: Typical....

that is all service based contracts. Wait until you work with public money and you have a performance spec.

Spec: OIT shall have multiple screens that display flow, pressure, and temp for each process

Contractor: Done.

Me: Ummm....each screen takes over 2 minutes to load....

Contractor: Oh....well you never said it had to be done in under 2 minutes. If you need that done, it will be a change order because we will have one of our senior guys optimize it.

Me: OMGWTFBBQ!

 

[DaTT]

Catholic Church?




/flamesuit

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

99.9% of CEO's worldwide? 100% of all politicians? Every teacher, authority figure, parent and, "friend" who told you that you MUST go to college to succeed? The recent housing debacle caused by investment bankers?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Dear Lord, I almost forgot the pinnacle (nadir?)of legal but unethical behavior, every call center on the planet.

 

[Jeff7]

don't mean to pick a fight with you, dude, but it could have been you (or me) that got aborted. We then wouldn't be here to get philosophical about it, one way or another.

Aborting a mind and body healthy life is just pure evil, IMO.

Not like I'd really give a damn if I'd been aborted. (Or stillborn, or not conceived in the first place, etc etc.)

 

[Cruisin1]

apple j/k people!

 

[ultimatebob]

Working for a patent trolling company like Rambus comes to mind, as would creating financial trading models for short selling stocks.

Oh... working at a PR firm for Big Oil or Big Tobacco would be good profitable/unethical job as well, as would owning a chain of fast food restaurants that cater their menus to children.

Or, you could watch the movie Margin Call. Just about every person in that entire movie other than the cleaning crew comes off as pretty unethical.

 

[ultimatebob]

apple j/k people!

Selling overpriced computers, software, and videos to people who are brainwashed into not knowing any better? Sounds like a good fit to me!

Hell... they want $35 for the latest season of Breaking Bad on iTunes. That's just EVIL.

 

[Mike Gayner]

Every teacher, authority figure, parent and, "friend" who told you that you MUST go to college to succeed?

Stupid doesn't necessarily equal unethical. As long as they don't realise they're stupid.

 

[herm0016]

some think my job is un-ethical. I think of it as providing the country with heat for their homes.

 

[nageov3t]

I work for an outsourcing destination company... it feels weird sometimes when people ask how my company is doing with the recession and my answer is "better than ever!"

 

[disappoint]

some think my job is un-ethical. I think of it as providing the country with heat for their homes.

Professional arsonist?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Anyone working for the RIAA.

 

[herm0016]

Professional arsonist?

haha...

natural gas and oil extraction.

 

[Aluvus]

In the search engine optimization (SEO) market there is a whole swath of "black hat" companies that attempt to find weaknesses in Google's ranking algorithms and trick people into visiting their sites. This is completely legal, usually.