A software developer at fintech giant 'VeloPay' accused of deliberately bypassing user data encryption protocols has claimed he was merely complying with explicit corporate mandates.
The engineer, 'Developer K', is defending himself in an industry regulatory hearing in London.
Representative counsel argued that aggressive speed-optimisation directives issued by the executive board left no room for implementing standard security checks. The panel heard that the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) responsible for 'Project Lightning' explicitly ordered development teams to bypass standard multi-factor encryption layers to "maximise transaction velocity and secure market share." The representative stated: "My client is only facing professional debarment because he executed the direct, mandatory instructions of his technical superiors."
Developer K has maintained he is not personally to blame for the subsequent widespread data leak.
Identify one psychological explanation for obedience raised by the above article. Support your answer with evidence from the article.
128 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Responses to people in authority, covering Milgram (1963): Obedience and Bocchiaro et al. (2012): Disobedience and whistle-blowing. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.