1. 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.
2. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
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. Improve their ability to create safe, reliable, and useful quality software at reasonable cost and within a reasonable time.
5. The dynamic and demanding context of software engineering requires a code that is adaptable and relevant to new situations as they occur.
6. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
7. 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.
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. 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.
10. Not knowingly use software that is obtained or retained either illegally or unethically.
1. Identify, define and address ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues related to work projects.
2. 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.
3. Ensure adequate documentation, including significant problems discovered and solutions adopted, for any project on which they work.
4. Assist colleagues in being fully aware of current standard work practices including policies and procedures for protecting passwords, files and other confidential information, and security measures in general.
5. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
6. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
7. 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.
8. Ensure that specifications for software on which they work have been well documented, satisfy the users’
9. Accept no outside work detrimental to the work they perform for their primary employer.
10. Credit fully the work of others and refrain from taking undue credit.
1. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Accept full responsibility for their own work.
2. 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.
3. In particular, software engineers shall continually endeavor to:Further their knowledge of developments in the analysis, specification, design, development, maintenance and testing of software and related documents, together with the management of the development process.
4. Attract potential software engineers only by full and accurate description of the conditions of employment.
5. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
6. Principle 3: PRODUCTSoftware engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.
7. 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.
8. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
9. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Temper all technical judgments by the need to support and maintain human values.
10. 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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Not influence others to undertake any action that involves a breach of this Code.
4. In accordance with that commitment, software engineers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
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 particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
7. 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.
8. Recognize that violations of this Code are inconsistent with being a professional software engineer.
9. The Code is not simply for adjudicating the nature of questionable acts; it also has an important educational function.
10. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
1. Not punish anyone for expressing ethical concerns about a project.
2. 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.
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. The Code is not a simple ethical algorithm that generates ethical decisions.
5. Ethical tensions can best be addressed by thoughtful consideration of fundamental principles, rather than blind reliance on detailed regulations.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
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. Principle 5: MANAGEMENTSoftware engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance .