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Whistleblowing justification

publish date: 2026/05/28 07:21:47.642317 UTC

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Whistleblowing occurs when an engineer reports unethical or dangerous practices that could harm the public.

When is whistleblowing ethically justified?

When the engineer disagrees with a design choice

When internal reporting channels fail to address a serious issue

When a colleague makes a minor mistake

When an engineer wants attention

When internal reporting channels fail to address a serious issue

Whistleblowing is justified when an organization ignores issues that could cause harm, and all internal options have been exhausted.

Software Engineering Ethics — Sommerville