Ethical Dilemmas of Software Engineers

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the ethical dilemmas that IT professionals in general, and software engineers in particular, face in the Balkans, specifically in Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania. In an environment where there is still an absence of policies regarding ethics and best practices, developers’ perceptions and their dilemmas are investigated. The paper first gives a general overview of the social and cultural issues in these countries, and then follows an analysis of issues regarding software development, good and bad work practices, and developers’ reactions to these issues. In this research, varying security and privacy compliance situations are explored through qualitative interviews of 6 developers that work in domestic and foreign developing companies in Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania: how they deal with dilemmas, how they make decisions and how they ensure that users are never harmed – was the objective of this investigation. Some conclusions are drawn based on participants' reported perceptions regarding these issues.