Being an ethical developer

As you have found out in the video, data security is the responsibility of everyone who comes into contact with any personal data, and you need to be careful to make sure that systems which hold users’ data are very secure. Whether that’s making sure that your databases are encrypted and access is controlled by a password and only by those who require access, or whether that’s being careful with any laptops, phones or USB sticks which hold any important passwords or data, you should always think about how you can make sure no data falls into the wrong hands.

But what do you do when things go wrong?

The number one thing you need to do if you have realised that there is a data breach (data has been lost, stolen, or sent to someone who shouldn’t have it) is to report it as soon as you can to the data controller at your work. If you’re not sure who that is, tell your line manager.

This can be a bit daunting, especially if you need to admit that you made a mistake, but it’s very important both for you and for the people who the data is about. If you try and hide the data breach, you’re putting your job at risk, and you can even face criminal charges. You should also think about the people to whom that data belongs as they are at risk of being targeted by cyber-criminals, having their identity stolen, or being scammed.

Having looked at data security, lets move on to discuss another ethical issue for developers; intellectual property or IP.