1. 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.
2. Not knowingly use software that is obtained or retained either illegally or unethically.
3. Ensure that there is a fair agreement concerning ownership of any software, processes, research, writing, or other intellectual property to which a software engineer has contributed.
4. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
5. Ensure adequate testing, debugging, and review of software and related documents on which they work.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
10. 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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Work to develop software and related documents that respect the privacy of those who will be affected by that software.
4. Strive to fully understand the specifications for software on which they work.
5. 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.
6. Keep private any confidential information gained in their professional work, where such confidentiality is consistent with the public interest and consistent with the law.
7. Ensure adequate documentation, including significant problems discovered and solutions adopted, for any project on which they work.
8. 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.
9. Ensure an appropriate method is used for any project on which they work or propose to work.
10. Review the work of others in an objective, candid, and properly-documented way.
1. Principle 3: PRODUCTSoftware engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.
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. 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.
4. Support, as members of a profession, other software engineers striving to follow this Code.
5. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
6. 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.
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. 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. PRINCIPLESPrinciple 1: PUBLICSoftware engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.
10. Ensure that software engineers are informed of standards before being held to them.
1. 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.
2. Not ask a software engineer to do anything inconsistent with this Code.
3. In particular, software engineers shall, as appropriate:Encourage colleagues to adhere to this Code.
4. 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.
5. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
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. Avoid associations with businesses and organizations which are in conflict with this code.
9. 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.
10. 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.
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. The Code helps to define those actions that are ethically improper to request of a software engineer or teams of software engineers.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. The Code provides an ethical foundation to which individuals within teams and the team as a whole can appeal.
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. 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.
9. The Principles identify the ethically responsible relationships in which individuals, groups, and organizations participate and the primary obligations within these relationships.
10. 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.