An anonymous reader writes "My boss recently assigned me a project, that was all his idea, with two basic flaws that would require me to break multiple web sites' Terms of Service (TOS). Part requires scraping most of the site, parsing the data and presenting it as our own without human intervention. While we're safe on copyright issues clearly scraping like this is normally not allowed. At times it might also put a load on those sites. The other is, for lack of better words, a "load balancing" part that requires using multiple free accounts instead of purchasing space and CPU time for less than $2,000 USD per month. The boss sees it as "distributed" computing when in reality it's "parasitic". Now add in the issue that he doesn't not have a "strong moral compass."
When I present my initial report I also plan on refusing the project on ethical grounds. Even in this economy I'll walk if presented with no alternative. I've spent too long building a reputation to flush it away on the PHB's musing of the week.
My question is am I wrong about the ethics? If I do need to walk how best can I handle it without damaging my reputation and future employment opportunities? Also should I give him a "roadmap" to do this project just to quit over it?"
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