Problem

1. On the Moral Obligation of IT Specialists:

(Do IT Specialists have a special moral obligation to society even if they themselves will be harmed in fulfilling their obligation?) Consider this question in light of the following scenario: Suppose you are a vocal critic of the Affordable Healthcare Act, also known as Obamacare, because you have a heavy financial investment in one of the private insurance companies that currently run healthcare in the US. Now, being an IT specialist, it just so happens that you have been called upon to design the software that runs the market place exchanges through which ordinary individuals can shop for and purchase health insurance. If these exchanges run as smoothly as intended, then Obamacare will be a success in that most Americans will be able to buy health insurance at affordable prices as a result of competition among insurance providers. On the other hand, if the exchanges are fraught with problems, then most Americans will become disenchanted and will conclude that Obamacare is a bust and so would call for its repeal. But in light of your opposition to the Act based on your investment interest, and given your expertise as an IT specialist, you can very easily design a software program that would sabotage the market exchanges and so effectively undermine the competition among insurance providers which Obamacare had intended to foster. Given this scenario, and drawing upon any of the moral theories we have studied, how would you address this moral issue?