ICS131 – Ethics

11/17/03

IEEE-CS and ACM• http://www.computer.org/tab/seprof/code.htm

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.

Computer Ethics InstituteBrookings Institution

• http://www.cpsr.org/program/ethics/cei.html

1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. 2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work. 3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files. 4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. 5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness. 6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not

paid. 7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without

authorization or proper compensation. 8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output. 9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are

writing or the system you are designing. 10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that insure consideration

and respect for your fellow humans.

AOL Interactive Page

• http://members.aol.com/internetethics/• What are "Internet Ethics" and why are they important?

(Paul Hyland, Senior Web Developer, Exit1 Inc.)– Internet ethics seeks to come up with a code of conduct and

disclosure obligation for those who communicate on the Internet. The primary aim of this code will be to reduce to a minimum dashed exceptions for those who use this medium. Because of the exponential expansion of the Internet as a global medium for social interaction, commerce and marketplace of ideas, what is at stake here is no less than the harmony of the human race itself. (Dr. Aaron Levine, Samson and Helin Bitensky Professor of Economics, Yeshiva University)

AOL Interactive Page

• Should the same moral standards apply to the internet as apply to other forms of communication, or should we develop (evolve) new norms for this new world? (Dr. Chris MacDonald, Post-Doctoral Fellow Department of Bioethics, Dalhousie University)– Our moral standards must be the same. Standards of

etiquette, however, are rightly different. (Dr. Kenneth D. Pimple, Research Associate Indiana University-Bloomington; Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions)

AOL Interactive Page

• Is it ethical to set a visible page counter to a high number and thus give the impression that the site receives lots of traffic?– No. That would be a lie. Lying is always

unethical. (Dr. Kenneth D. Pimple, Research Associate Indiana University-Bloomington; Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions).