I hope this question doesn't come across as uninformed or offensive, but I'm genuinely curious: How can a system programmer guarantee that a client’s idea remains confidential and is not used for personal gain?
It seems like a difficult challenge—if a programmer is building a system for a client and realizes it has great potential, it might be tempting to reuse or share that concept. Additionally, enforcing protections against this kind of misuse appears complicated, as there may be no clear way to track whether the idea has been repurposed elsewhere and it's almost impossible to find out if the programmer just uses it themself without sharing.
From the programmer's perspective, how can they reassure clients of their ethical integrity and commitment to protecting intellectual property? On the other hand, as a client, what steps can be taken to ensure that their proprietary ideas remain secure and are not exploited?
I'm interested in hearing perspectives on how this can be managed fairly and effectively.
Thank you very much