Ethics Matters

This is a summary of the ACM's code of ethics for computer professionals. You might want to follow the ACM link to read the entire code to see if you agree with this summary. What has the author left out? For more on the code and its main principles, read this article.

By chance I have read this nice classical document any honest engineer must keep in mind. It was written by the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) on software engineering ethics but I am afraid it can be extended to many other professional practices.

The short version is like this:

  1. PUBLIC - Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.

  2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER - Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer consistent with the public interest.

  3. PRODUCT - Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.

  4. JUDGMENT - Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.

  5. MANAGEMENT - Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.

  6. PROFESSION - Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.

  7. COLLEAGUES - Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

  8. SELF - Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

Source: Association for Computing Machinery, https://notonlybridges.blogspot.com/2007/06/ethics.html
 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Last modified: Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 5:44 PM