Consulting hazard

Sam Shaw calls the Department of Computer Science at East Dakota State University seeking advice on how to improve the security of his business's local area network, and is routed to Professor Jane Smith, an internationally recognized expert in the field. She answers several questions posed by Mr. Shaw regarding network security. When Mr. Shaw asks Professor Smith to recommend a software package to identify security problems, Professor Smith tells him that NetCheks got the personal computer magazine's top rating. She does not mention that the same magazine gave a "best buy" rating to another product with fewer features but a much lower prices. She also fails to mention that NetCheks is a product of a startup founded by one of her former students and that she owns 10 percent of the company.

Adapted from Quinn, Ethics for the information age 7e, §9.5.1