I don’t like it either but blame goes to the top of the org chart. That’s not illegal or, by the standards of the field, flagrantly unethical so it’s a bit extreme to expect someone to resign over.

Blame goes to everyone involved. From the decision makers to the implementors

You were just following orders, that's a great argument

I don’t know what standards you are referring to, but yea I would call it flagrantly unethical for sure.