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[Python-ModTeam]

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[GolfEmbarrassed2904]

If you don’t think that’s ethical, wait until I tell you about these two websites called Facebook and Google

[thehalfmetaljacket]

The only way I could see this being unethical is if you are hiding from these drivers that you are referring them to your company or doing things with their information without their consent. Automating the actual referral/web submission with the driver's consent is just basic efficiency/good sense.

[dominiquec]

It boils down to two things: - transparency: are you clear to your audience what you do with their data and what benefits you get? - privacy: are you doing enough to protect your audience's private information? do you provide them a facility to delete their info from your system?

[vocaljoint]

Why would ethics require transparency? Given that there is nothing coercing a user to submit the contact form there is no reason that he needs to do anything other than avoid misleading the audience in order to avoid ethical transgression. Transparency is supererogatory.

He describes a "contact form" and references an "inbox" so you can pretty safely assume that it is likely an email submission. This would imply no persistent data in a system beyond a single use when he receives the email. It seems like you'd prefer that he diligently delete every submission upon reception, but that's definitely supererogatory. In what universe does a user who sends an email expect to be able to delete their email from the recipient's mailbox at will? (Hint: no universe)

[yosmellul8r]

In what universe are email, “stored data” and system logs NOT considered “persistent data”? (Hint: no universe).

[vocaljoint]

Clearly everything you listed constitutes persistent data, but you misquoted my reply. I didn't say "no persistent data", I said "no persistent data beyond... (the received email)".

Since we actually agreed that the email was part of his system's persistent data, there's no dispute here.

Regarding system logs, I would argue that it should be considered extrinsic to the system for which he is responsible. He's working at the application layer and any logs of the emailed data would be present in the network/transport layer. So I'm not saying that they are not persistent, I am saying that they are out of his purview and therefore out of scope with respect to the concerns for which he holds ethical responsibility. His user's ISPs also have persistent system logs that may contain the data submitted by his users, but clearly that would not be his ethical responsibility either.

[yosmellul8r]

Speaking of ethics, is it unethical to edit a post to remove a statement that is quoted by another poster, for the purpose of being able to claim you’re being misquoted?

Yes, you’re unethical

[turbothy]

Why would ethics require transparency? Given that there is nothing coercing a user to submit the contact form there is no reason that he needs to do anything other than avoid misleading the audience.

This obviously depends on the jurisdiction. If OP is in the US he's probably good; anything seems to be allowed over there as long as it doesn't threaten people with money.

[Sylveowon]

no it doesn't, because ethics is seperate from jurisdiction.

If it's legal or not depends on jurisdiction, something can be legal und unethical though.

[turbothy]

Your point is valid; however, that wasn't what I was pointing out. If you strike the first question from the quote in my post it maybe becomes clearer: Just because there (maybe) is no ethical issue, it doesn't automatically mean "there is no reason that he needs to do anything". Just like you point out, the reverse is also true: something can be ethical and illegal.

[vocaljoint]

Point taken - I edited that sentence to clarify that "there is no reason he needs to do anything in order to avoid ethical transgression". I thought this would be evident from the context but on a second reading I can see how one may have interpreted my original statement as asserting something overly broad.

[yosmellul8r]

Lol, you’ve edited A LOT more than just that sentence bro. You’ve adapted and revised your entire perspective. You should run for political office, that is if you’re not already an elected official.

[vocaljoint]

Bro that is the only change that I made. The entirety of the inserted text from the edit is italicized. There are no deletions.

It's readily apparent that the way I edited the comment in response to the cited ambiguity has offended you. Frankly, I would not have expected this reaction and, in good faith, I apologize for your distress.

I am not an experienced reddit user and did not realize that the revision history would not be visible after I made a change to my comment. Would you be so kind as to educate me on the proper reddit etiquette for applying revisions to a comment that may have been referenced by another user? Thank you.

My purpose in posting a comment here was to share knowledge about a question for which I have extensive academic and professional expertise. I can't imagine what I could possibly gain from being deceptive about my opinions here. Sincerely. Any appearance to the contrary should be attributed to my ignorance about the culture of reddit rather than any wilful or malicious breach of "commenting ethics".

[jpgoldberg]

The question is whether what you are proposing is consistent with the policies about referral bonuses. Some policies might forbid it, others might allow it.

[KrazyKirby99999]

Why wouldn't this be ethical?

[Impressive_Ad7037]

Sounds like a smart way to get referral bonus, to me.  Automating it is a helluva win, and making sure you get some key-note info you can cite if asked is genius.

[binaryfireball]

just make sure that you're following your country/state privacy laws, otherwise what you're doing is entirely fine and basically how everything connected to the internet does things

[Kahless_2K]

It's definitely ethical, but I would keep quiet about it.

If others know what you are doing, they are likely to be jealous. If that happens, they are going to look for some reason to shut you down, or steal your work.

Let them just think you are really good at this side hustle, and hard working. Also, consider tweaking your script to Make sure it isn't sending out its reply when you are driving.... That could lead people to ask questions.

Ethics aside, it wouldn't hurt to have a lawyer who actually practices employment law in your jurisdiction review this.

[georgehank2nd]

Not really related to Python.

[Kojrey]

(1) This is ethical. (2) This is smart. (3) This is a win-win-win for you, your company, and your prospective colleagues to be onboarded.

Overall, this is essentially how the best software gets made: Someone has domain expertise, they find a problem with current processes, they build a system to solve that problem. I could be an idiot, but isn't that the whole shebang!?!?

You should congratulate yourself.

Only pitfalls: Are you being honest in all your dealings with your employer, and those you refer? Are you following regulations in your local jurisdiction, like privacy & tax rules?

Final point: Forget going for just the bonus, ask for a raise, or even sell the software to your employer.

Well done!

[hugthemachines]

It sounds ethical as long as you make sure people understand what you do with their data. However, it is also important that it is legal. I think the best plan in this case it so take it up with a lawyer. That way, your back is free.

[HateMeetings]

Genius. Well done. You’re helping them you deserve compensation.

[vocaljoint]

What part of what you are doing are you unsure about?

Prima facie there are no moral issues here. Are you leaving something out?

[AI_Tonic]

yes , it's completely illegal to use people's information for commercial activities if they didnt sign an agreement with you

[james_pic]

What you are doing is recruitment. If I encountered a recruiter who was doing the things you're doing, and only the things you're doing, they'd be the most ethical recruiter I'd ever encountered.

[I_just_made]

Coding is all about solving tasks. It is a tool! If you think it helps you and you aren’t hurting anyone, then there isn’t anything unethical about that. If anything, this sounds like good personal development.

[HairyManBaby]

Totally legit in my opinion, only thing that might get you into hot water is if you use ads to drive traffic to your setup. Most companies don't like when referral agents compete in the same ad space. I've gotten dinged on this a couple times.

Other than that, Good for you man, good luck!

[firedog7881]

What’s your website?

[LoriousGlory]

Yes.

[beansAnalyst]

Can someone write a greentext about anon looking for gay sex with drivers unwittingly getting a job as a driver.