1. Disclose to appropriate persons or authorities any actual or potential danger to the user, the public, or the environment, that they reasonably believe to be associated with software or related documents.
2. Be accurate in stating the characteristics of software on which they work, avoiding not only false claims but also claims that might reasonably be supposed to be speculative, vacuous, deceptive, misleading, or doubtful.
3. Software engineers are those who contribute by direct participation or by teaching, to the analysis, specification, design, development, certification, maintenance and testing of software systems.
4. These Principles should influence software engineers to consider broadly who is affected by their work; to examine if they and their colleagues are treating other human beings with due respect; to consider how the public, if reasonably well informed, would view their decisions; to analyze how the least empowered will be affected by their decisions; and to consider whether their acts would be judged worthy of the ideal professional working as a software engineer.
5. The Code contains eight Principles related to the behavior of and decisions made by professional software engineers, including practitioners, educators, managers, supervisors and policy makers, as well as trainees and students of the profession.
6. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
7. To ensure, as much as possible, that their efforts will be used for good, software engineers must commit themselves to making software engineering a beneficial and respected profession.
8. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Temper all technical judgments by the need to support and maintain human values.
9. To ensure, as much as possible, that their efforts will be used for good, software engineers must commit themselves to making software engineering a beneficial and respected profession.
10. Ensure adequate testing, debugging, and review of software and related documents on which they work.
1. Ensure that they are qualified for any project on which they work or propose to work by an appropriate combination of education and training, and experience.
2. Improve their knowledge of this Code, its interpretation, and its application to their work.
3. Work to follow professional standards, when available, that are most appropriate for the task at hand, departing from these only when ethically or technically justified.
4. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
5. Improve their understanding of the software and related documents on which they work and of the environment in which they will be used.
6. Be accurate in stating the characteristics of software on which they work, avoiding not only false claims but also claims that might reasonably be supposed to be speculative, vacuous, deceptive, misleading, or doubtful.
7. Keep private any confidential information gained in their professional work, where such confidentiality is consistent with the public interest and consistent with the law.
8. Ensure adequate documentation, including significant problems discovered and solutions adopted, for any project on which they work.
9. Ensure proper and achievable goals and objectives for any project on which they work or propose.
10. s humanity, in special care owed to people affected by the work of software engineers, and the unique elements of the practice of software engineering.
1. Principle 6: PROFESSIONSoftware engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
2. In particular, those managing or leading software engineers shall, as appropriate:Ensure good management for any project on which they work, including effective procedures for promotion of quality and reduction of risk.
3. However, even in this generality, the Code provides support for software engineers and managers of software engineers who need to take positive action in a specific case by documenting the ethical stance of the profession.
4. Not unfairly intervene in the career of any colleague; however, concern for the employer, the client or public interest may compel software engineers, in good faith, to question the competence of a colleague.
5. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
6. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Provide service in their areas of competence, being honest and forthright about any limitations of their experience and education.
7. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
8. To ensure, as much as possible, that their efforts will be used for good, software engineers must commit themselves to making software engineering a beneficial and respected profession.
9. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
10. Principle 2: CLIENT AND EMPLOYERSoftware engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client and employer, consistent with the public interest.
1. The Code prescribes these as obligations of anyone claiming to be or aspiring to be a software engineer.
2. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
3. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
4. Report significant violations of this Code to appropriate authorities when it is clear that consultation with people involved in these significant violations is impossible, counter-productive or dangerous.
5. The Code contains eight Principles related to the behavior of and decisions made by professional software engineers, including practitioners, educators, managers, supervisors and policy makers, as well as trainees and students of the profession.
6. Recognize that personal violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
7. These situations require the software engineer to use ethical judgment to act in a manner which is most consistent with the spirit of the Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, given the circumstances.
8. The Code is not simply for adjudicating the nature of questionable acts; it also has an important educational function.
9. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
10. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
1. Not punish anyone for expressing ethical concerns about a project.
2. Principle 8: SELFSoftware engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.
3. Promote no interest adverse to their employer or client, unless a higher ethical concern is being compromised; in that case, inform the employer or another appropriate authority of the ethical concern.
4. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
5. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
6. As this Code expresses the consensus of the profession on ethical issues, it is a means to educate both the public and aspiring professionals about the ethical obligations of all software engineers.
7. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
8. Ethical tensions can best be addressed by thoughtful consideration of fundamental principles, rather than blind reliance on detailed regulations.
9. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
10. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .