1. Consider issues of physical disabilities, allocation of resources, economic disadvantage and other factors that can diminish access to the benefits of software.
2. Identify, document, and report significant issues of social concern, of which they are aware, in software or related documents, to the employer or the client.
3. 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.
4. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
5. 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.
6. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
7. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Strive for high quality, acceptable cost and a reasonable schedule, ensuring significant tradeoffs are clear to and accepted by the employer and the client, and are available for consideration by the user and the public.
8. Because of their roles in developing software systems, software engineers have significant opportunities to do good or cause harm, to enable others to do good or cause harm, or to influence others to do good or cause harm.
9. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
10. Not knowingly use software that is obtained or retained either illegally or unethically.
1. Take responsibility for detecting, correcting, and reporting errors in software and associated documents on which they work.
2. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
3. Ensure realistic quantitative estimates of cost, scheduling, personnel, quality and outcomes on any project on which they work or propose to work and provide an uncertainty assessment of these estimates.
4. 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.
5. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
6. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
7. Ensure proper and achievable goals and objectives for any project on which they work or propose.
8. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
9. The ultimate effect of the work should be to the public good.
10. 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.
1. 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.
2. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Temper all technical judgments by the need to support and maintain human values.
3. Principle 6: PROFESSIONSoftware engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.
4. Ensure that software engineers know the employer's policies and procedures for protecting passwords, files and information that is confidential to the employer or confidential to others.
5. 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.
6. Principle 7: COLLEAGUESSoftware engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
7. Principle 4: JUDGMENTSoftware engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
8. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
9. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
10. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
1. Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (Full Version)PREAMBLEComputers have a central and growing role in commerce, industry, government, medicine, education, entertainment and society at large.
2. 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.
3. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
4. It is not intended that the individual parts of the Code be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission.
5. Express concerns to the people involved when significant violations of this Code are detected unless this is impossible, counter-productive, or dangerous.
6. In all these judgments concern for the health, safety and welfare of the public is primary; that is, the "Public Interest" is central to this Code.
7. 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.
8. Not influence others to undertake any action that involves a breach of this Code.
9. Ensure that clients, employers, and supervisors know of the software engineer's commitment to this Code of ethics, and the subsequent ramifications of such commitment.
10. The Code prescribes these as obligations of anyone claiming to be or aspiring to be a software engineer.
1. 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.
2. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .
3. 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.
4. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
5. 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.
6. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
7. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
8. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Help develop an organizational environment favorable to acting ethically.
9. 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.
10. The Principles identify the ethically responsible relationships in which individuals, groups, and organizations participate and the primary obligations within these relationships.