My expectations for people to take ethical responsibility generally scales with rank/level. It’s hard to fault a junior engineer for doing what they’re told; they might not even know about any harms they are doing, or maybe they’re economically vulnerable and can’t speak up for fear of losing their job.
On the other hand, a Director or Staff Engineer has my full blame for anything unethical that happens under their purview.
On the other hand, a Director or Staff Engineer has my full blame for anything unethical that happens under their purview.