One-line answerQuestion 1 · Recall
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By the end you can identify ethical dilemmas in computing scenarios, apply a simple decision framework, and explain the consequences of ethical and unethical actions for stakeholders.
It's not about memorising rules — it's about recognising when a situation has an ethical dimension and reasoning through it.
Typical computing dilemmas:
The dilemma: two (or more) values conflict — speed vs safety, profit vs privacy, loyalty vs whistleblowing.
Ethical dilemma
A situation where you must choose between two or more courses of action, each of which supports a different ethical principle, so that whatever you do, some principle is compromised.
1. Identify the stakeholders — who is affected? (users, employer, client, public, colleagues, yourself) 2. List the options — what could you realistically do? 3. Apply the codes — what do BCS/IEEE say? What does the law say? 4. Weigh consequences — short-term vs long-term, harm vs benefit, for each stakeholder. 5. Decide and document — pick the option that best upholds professional ethics; record your reasoning.
Exam tip: In scenario questions, explicitly name stakeholders, cite a code principle, and state the consequence of each option.
Worked example: Example: The biased hiring algorithm
Your team builds an AI screening tool for CVs. Testing shows it rejects 40% more female applicants for engineering roles. The product launch is in two weeks. The CEO says "ship it, we'll fix it later."