🚀 go-pugleaf

Mark: Such is Standard Operating Procedure for graphics board drivers. They
are written to detect and be optimized for known test suites and
benchmarks. "What gets measured gets done."  Thanks JD

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From: Olson, Mark <olsonm@cadvision.com>
To: CIPS-L@hermes.csd.unb.ca
Subject: Fwd: Unethical actions by IT people?
Date: March 1, 1999 11:58 AM

-- [ From: Mark Olson * EMC.Ver #3.0 ] --
 Attachment: trucks.htm Code: 0SKNH2K   \ Created: 02-27-99, 08:54 PM [21
Kb]

Rick et al:

Compared to having the British Special Services smash in you door with a
tank, I would suggest that losing their British Computer Society
membership would not be something the perpetrators of said crime, if
indeed it is true, would be losing a lot of sleep over.  Said
individuals are obviously not operating in any professional context.

Of more interest of me is the attached article, trucks.htm, which was
the lead story from Saturday's Glove and Mail.  In this case someone,
working in a professional context, used software to purposely subvert
the spirit, if not the letter, of environmental regulation.

For those not familiar with such things, in order to ensure fairness and
repeatability, emissions regulation compliance is done based on a very
rigorous and standardized operations plan, which goes something like
"start truck, idle at 600 rpm for 15 seconds, engage first gear,
accelerate engine from 1200 to 3000 rpm over 6 seconds, engage second
gear", etc., etc.

Reading between the lines, what the manufacturers did was program the
on-board computer to recognized the operating pattern of an emissions
test, and modify the operation of the engine to minimize emissions when
it detected that such a test was underway.  Once the software had
determined that the truck was operating in "the real world", operation
of the engine was optimized for power, regardless of emissions.

This is an outstanding example of how information systems, used in an
unethical matter, can have an enormous impact on society, and how
professional practice is needed to ensure that public good is not
sacrificed for individual financial gain.

Mark Olson


PS: If you would prefer to see the original article, it can be found at
http://archives.theglobeandmail.com/search97cgi/s97_cgi?action=View&Vd
kVgwKey=%2Fusr%2Flocal%2Ftgam%2Fsearch%2Fhtml%2F19990227%2FUENVIN%2Eh
tml&DocOffset=4&DocsFound=20&QueryZip=trucks&Collection=TGAM&SortFiel
d=sortdate&ViewTemplate=TGAMDocView%2Ehts&SearchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Farch
ives%2Etheglobeandmail%2Ecom%2Fsearch97cgi%2Fs97%5Fcgi%3FQueryZip%3Dt
rucks%26ResultTemplate%3DTGAMResults%252Ehts%26QueryText%3Dtrucks%26C
ollection%3DTGAM%26SortField%3Dsortdate%26ViewTemplate%3DTGAMDocView%
252Ehts%26ResultStart%3D1%26ResultCount%3D10&


------- FORWARD, Original message follows -------

Date: Sunday, 28-Feb-99 07:37 PM

From: rikdondo by way of Joe Williams <williams@I \ Internet:
(rikdondo@nbnet.nb.ca)
To:   CIPS-L@hermes.csd.unb.ca \ Internet:    (cips-l@hermes.csd.unb.ca)

Subject: Unethical actions by IT people?

I think we could all agree that this sort of action would get people
drummed out of the Society couldn't we?

http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,33023,00.html


The report appears to come through Reuters and News.com prides itself on
journalistic integrity, so I am sure the report is worth taking very
seriously. We may never KNOW whether the events actually took place, but
I agree that this IS a nightmare scenario.

I am sure that this is not the kind of behaviour we would want to
support among our members. Is there a consensus on that view?

Rick Dondo


------- FORWARD, End of original message -------



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