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Subject:RE: Real world ethical questions From:John Posada <JPosada -at- book -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 14 Apr 2003 14:40:19 -0400
> Product X is intended for financial institutions, where security is
> important. There's a login/password authentication system. But, the
> product uses Internet Explorer as the interface. It's easy to bypass
> the system. I documented that, but the product manager told me to take
> it out, not because it wasn't true, but because he didn't want people
> to know it worked that way.
Your job is not to explain to people how to crack your system. It is to
explain how it works. Many of us document servers. We may not think it is
secure enough. Is it our obligation to explain back doors because we aren't
satisfied with the security of the server?
If you did, and during an interview, you showed me the alternate
documentation where you DID put that in writing, you'd be the LAST person on
my list that I'd call.
Ethics has nothing to do with it. Scope is. The scope of your documentation
is to document how to use the product.
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
Barnes&Noble.com
jposada -at- book -dot- com
NY: 212-414-6656
Dayton: 732-438-3372
Although she lives with seven other men, she's not easy.
------ Magic Mirror
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