Social and professional issues

Computer scientists must understand the relevant social, ethical, and professional issues that surround their activities. The ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct provides a basis for personal responsibility and professional conduct for computer scientists who are engaged in system development that directly affects the general public.

As the computer industry has developed increasingly powerful processors at lower costs, microprocessors have become ubiquitous. They are used to control automated assembly lines, traffic signal systems, and retail inventory systems and are embedded in consumer products such as automobile fuel-injection systems, kitchen appliances, audio systems, cell phones, and electronic games.

Computers and networks are everywhere in the workplace. Word and document processing, electronic mail, and office automation are integrated with desktop computers, printers, database systems, and other tools using wireless networks and widespread Internet access. Such changes ultimately make office work much more efficient, though not without cost for purchasing and frequently upgrading the necessary hardware and software as well as for training workers to use the new technology.

Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is a technology arising from the application of computer science to manufacturing. The technology of CIM emphasizes that all aspects of manufacturing should be not only computerized as much as possible but also linked together via a network. For example, the design engineer’s workstation should be linked into the overall system so that design specifications and manufacturing instructions may be sent automatically to the shop floor. The inventory databases should be connected as well, so product inventories may be incremented automatically and supply inventories decremented as manufacturing proceeds. An automated inspection system (or a manual inspection station supplied with online terminal entry) should be linked to a quality-control system that maintains a database of quality information and alerts the manager if quality is deteriorating and possibly even provides a diagnosis as to the source of any problems that arise. Automatically tracking the flow of products from station to station on the factory floor allows an analysis program to identify bottlenecks and recommend replacement of faulty equipment.

For example, computer technology has been incorporated into automobile design and manufacturing. Computers are involved (as CAD systems) not only in the design of cars but also in the manufacturing and testing process. Modern automobiles include numerous computer chips that analyze sensor data and alert the driver to actual and potential malfunctions. Although increased reliability has been achieved by implementing such computerization, a drawback is that only automotive repair shops with a large investment in high-tech diagnostic tools for these computerized systems can handle any but the simplest repairs.

The rapid growth of smartphones has revolutionized the telephone industry. Individuals often abandoned their landlines in favour of going completely mobile; the reluctance to pay twice for telephone service was the major driver in this decision. The telephone system itself is simply a multilevel computer network that includes radio wave links and satellite transmission, along with software switches to route calls to their destinations. If one node through which a cross-country call would normally be routed is very busy, an alternative routing can be substituted. A disadvantage is the potential for dramatic and widespread failures; for example, a poorly designed routing and flow-control protocol can cause calls to cycle indefinitely among nodes without reaching their destinations unless a system administrator intervenes.

Banking and commerce have been revolutionized by computer technology. Thanks to the Internet, individuals and organizations can interact with their bank accounts online, performing fund transfers and issuing checks from the comfort of their homes or offices. Deposits and withdrawals are instantly logged into a customer’s account, which is stored on a remote server. Computer-generated monthly statements are unlikely to contain errors. Credit and debit card purchases are also supported by computer networks, allowing the amount of a transaction to be immediately deducted from the customer’s account and transferred to the seller’s. Similarly, networks allows individuals to obtain cash instantly and almost worldwide by stepping up to an automated teller machine (ATM) and providing the proper card and personal identification number (PIN).

The security challenges associated with these technologies are significant. Intruders can intercept packets traveling on a network (e.g., being transported via a satellite link) and can decrypt them to obtain confidential information on financial transactions. Network access to personal accounts has the potential to let intruders not only see how much money an individual has but also transfer some of it elsewhere. Fortunately, increased software security measures have made such intrusions less likely.

Computer technology has had a significant impact on the retail industry. All but the smallest shops in places with Internet access have replaced the old-fashioned cash register with a terminal linked to a computer system. Some terminals require that the clerk type in the code for the item, but most checkout counters include a bar-code scanner, which reads into the computer the Universal Product Code (UPC) printed on each package. Cash register receipts then include brief descriptions of the items purchased (by fetching them from the computer database), and the purchase information is also relayed back to the computer to cause an immediate adjustment in the inventory data. The inventory system can easily alert the manager when the supply of an item drops below a specified threshold. In the case of retail chains linked by networks, the order for a new supply of an item may be automatically generated and sent electronically to the supply warehouse. In a less extensively automated arrangement, the manager can send in the order electronically by a direct link to the supplier’s computer. These developments have made shopping much more convenient. The checkout process is faster, checkout lines are shorter, and desired items are more likely to be in stock. In addition, cash register receipts contain more detailed information than a simple list of item prices; for example, many receipts include discount coupons based on the specific items purchased by the shopper.

Since the mid-1990s one of the most rapidly growing retail sectors has been electronic commerce, involving use of the Internet and proprietary networks to facilitate business-to-business, consumer, and auction sales of everything imaginable—from computers and electronics to books, recordings, automobiles, and real estate. Popular sites for electronic commerce include Amazon, eBay, and the Web sites for most large retail chain stores.