[LINK] The Ethics (!) of Dodgy Web Designers

[Marghanita da Cruz]

Craig Sanders wrote:
<snip>
> sandwiches, standards are mandated by law...but not yet for web sites.
> 
This isn't quite true. A website as are your other ICT systems which are
part of your business processes are  covered by all kinds of laws -
Trade Practices, Corporations Law, Privacy and in some cases accessibility
with which you have to  comply. The accounting systems in particular are
under close scrutiny following corporate collapses.

There is also a really  interesting book about the role of accounting
ethics and regulation in Corporate Failures -
One Tel, HIH ,etc. -  Corporate Collapse
Accounting, Regulatory and Ethical Failure by Clarke, Dean & Oliver
Revised Edition published by Cambridge University Press 2003. ISBN 0 521
82684-5 (hardback) ISBN 0 521 53426 7 (paperback)
<http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521826845>

In my view, a poor website is usually a symptom of a deeper malaise in an
organisation - they don't understand their business very well, have more
money than sense or possibly a considered exploration of the channel.

You can check out the numerous Audit reports of failures of Government
ICT Projects, the 10 year plus court dual between RACV and UNISYS.
via <http://www.acs.org.au/governance/#reading>

There is usually a disclaimer by "reputable" ICT Companies that
liability only extends as far as the money paid - not to damages from
use of the software/hardware etc.

Then there is the whole insurance framework.

> 
>>This isn't a matter of ethics, but rather competency, which I suspect  
>>your grievance is all about.
> 
> 
> it's about both. it's unethical to claim to be capable of doing
> something which you are not competent to do. that's called lying. or
> deceptive trade practice.
<snip>
And ofcourse if all else fails, you should remember the parable of
Microsoft, IBM and the guy with the great PC operating system, who would
deal with IBM in the late 1980s.

On security, this is not just and ICT issue it is about risk management
and you might like to check out
<http://www.cert.org/governance/ges.html>

Marghanita
-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
http://www.ramin.com.au/
Telephone: 0414-869202