Texas State CS 2315 - Professional Ethics

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Professional Ethics• Moral issues that affect computer professionals• Distinct enough to warrant separate study• Professionals have special moral obligationsProfession• Occupation• Requires special knowledge and skills• Characteristics– systematic theory– authority– community sanction– ethical codes– culture1A professional• lives up to accepted codes of conduct• is an expert in a field• engages in work that can impact the publicA computer professional• is employed in the computer, IT, information or commu-nication fields• examples: software engineer, tech writer, developmentmanagers, instructors, sys or network admins, supportpersonnel• not lawyers, accountants, or nurses2Moral Responsibilities of Computer Professionals• obligations of all professionals– honesty– candor– competence– diligence– loyalty– discretion• worthy of a client’s trust• different obligations for people working on safety-criticalsoftware• examples– aircraft and ai r traffi c control– mass tr ansit– nuclear reacto rs– missile systems– medical treatment systems– engineering design (bridges, buildings)3Codes of Ethics• IEEE, ACM, SECEPP• Purpose of Professional Codes– provide positive stimulus fo r ethical conduct– give guidance in morall y complex situati ons– educate about ethical responsibilities– specify grounds for punishment– inform public about expectations from professionals– sensitize professionals to ethical aspects of their jobs– enhance the st atus of the profession• Defenses– central to advising engi neer s on how to behave– guides for ethical decision making4• Criticisms– codes have no teeth–no loss of job, no need to bemember– may be too vague, self-serving or inconsistent– limited concerns can lead to loopholesprivacy, accuracy, property, accessibility– directives are to be followed, not deliberated– no methodology for conflict resolution– confounding of principles for individuals and for theprofession– sanctions make codes of conduct instead of ethicalrules5• Functions of Codes– code of ethicsvision and objectivesshared w it h society– code of conductattitude and behaviorshared w it h other pro fessions– code of practiceoperational activities within professionviolations lead to legal actionunique to a parti cular pro fession6IEEE Code of EthicsWe, the me mbe rs of the IEEE, in recognition of the im-portance of our technologies in affecting the quality oflife throughout the world, and in accepting a personalobligation to our profession, its members and the com-munities we serve, do hereby comm it ourselves to thehighest ethical and professional conduct and agree:1. to accept responsibility in making decisions consis-tent with the safety, health and wel fare of the public,and to disclose promptly factors that might endan-ger the public or the environment;2. to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest when-ever possible, and to disclose them to affect ed partieswhen they do exist ;3. to be honest and realistic in stating claims or esti-mates based on available data;?4. to reject bribery in all its forms;5. to improve the understanding of technology, its ap-propriate application, and potential consequences;6. to maintain and improve our technical competenceand to undertake technological tasks for others onlyif qualified by training o r experience, or after fulldisclosure of pertinent limitations;77. to seek, accept, and offer honest critici sm of techni-cal work, to acknowledge and co rr ect errors, and tocredit properly the contributions of others;8. to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factorsas race, religion, gender, disability, age, or nationalorigin;9. to avoid injur ing others, their property, reputation,or employment by false or malicious action;10. to assist colleagues and co-workers in their profes-sional devel opm ent and to support them in followingthis code of ethics.Approved by the IEEE Board of Directors February 20068ACM Code of EthicsGENERAL MORAL IMPERATIVES.1.1 Contribute to society and human well-being.1.2 Avoid harm to others.1.3 Be honest and trustworthy.1.4 Be fair and take action not to discriminate.1.5 Honor property rights including copyrights and patent.1.6 Give proper credit for intellectual property.1.7 Respect the privacy of others.1.8 Honor confidentiality.9MORE SPECIFIC PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.2.1 Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectivenessand dignity in both the process and products of professional work.2.2 Acquire and maintain professional competence.2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work.2.4 Accept and provide appropriate professional review.2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systemsand their impacts, including analysis of possible risks.2.6 Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities.2.7 Improve public understanding of computing and its consequences.2.8 Access computing and communication resources only when authorizedto do so.10ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP IMPERATIVES.3.1 Articulate social responsibilities of members of an organizationalunit and encourage full acceptance of those responsibilities.3.2 Manage personnel and resources to design and build informationsystems that enhance the quality of working life.3.3 Acknowledge and support proper and authorized uses of anorganization’s computing and communication resources.3.4 Ensure that users and those who will be affected by a system havetheir needs clearly articulated during the assessment and design ofequirements; later the system must be validated to meet requirements.3.5 Articulate and support policies that protect the dignity of users andothers affected by a computing system.3.6 Create opportunities for members of the organization to learn theprinciples and limitations of computer systems.11COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE.4.1 Uphold and promote the principles of this Code.4.2 Treat violations of this code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM.12SECEPP• designed for all software engineers• endorsed by ACM and IEEE-CS• hierarchy of principles provides a conflict resolution mech-anism• should SECEPP be tied to licensure?yes – helps SE make ehtical decisionsno – disci pli ne is immatur e13SECEPP – Short VersionPREAMBLEThe short version of the code summarizes aspirations at a high levelof abstraction. The clauses that are included in the full version giveexamples and details of how these


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Texas State CS 2315 - Professional Ethics

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