PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
FOR PROFESSIONALS
OF
COMPUTER & INFO TECH
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Agenda
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Intro:
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IFIP Harmonization of Pro Standards: summary
Definitions: NCEES
Variance in concerns: ACM Computing & Public Policy
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Intro: ISWorld Ethics
IEEE Ethics
ACM Code of Ethics
ACM / IEEE CS: Software Engineering Code of Ethics & Pro Practice
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Student Guidance
Code of Research Conduct
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Nature of Codes
Advantages & Disadvantages
Computer, IT, IS Pro Ethics
Plagiarism
Conclusions:
Further on
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IFIP’s Harmonization of
Professional Standards (1998)
The purpose is to clearly set out an international standard for
professional practice in information technology.
The components of the standards are:
 Ethics of professional practice:
Practitioners must publicly ascribe to the code of ethics published within the standard.
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Established body of knowledge:
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Education and training:
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Professional experience:
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Best practice and proven methodologies:
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Maintenance of competence:
Practitioners must be aware of and have access to a well-documented current body of
knowledge relevant to the domain of practice.
The minimum level of mastery of the body of knowledge must be at the baccalaureate
level.
In addition to a demonstrated mastery of the body of knowledge a minimum of the
equivalent of two years supervised experience is recommended before the practitioner
operates unsupervised.
Practitioners should be familiar with current best practice and relevant proven
methodologies.
Practitioners must be able to provide evidence of their maintenance of competence.
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Definitions
Bodur: Ethics Presentation
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
(NCEES):
 Engineering is considered to be a "profession" rather than an
"occupation" because of several important characteristics:
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special knowledge,
special privileges,
special responsibilities.
Professions are based on a large knowledge base requiring
extensive training.
Professional skills are important to the well-being of society.
Professions are self-regulating, in that they control the training
and evaluation processes that admit new persons to the field.
Professionals have autonomy in the workplace; they are
expected to utilize their independent judgment in carrying out
their professional responsibilities.
Finally, professions are regulated by ethical standards.
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Variance in Ethical Concerns
ACM Computing & Public Policy:
 ACM Code of Ethics
 Software Engineering Code of Ethics
 Software Engineering and Licensing Issues
 ACM Privacy Policy
 ACM Copyright Policy
 ACM Statement of Non-endorsement
 Committee on Computers and Public Policy
 Committee on the Status of Women in Computing
 Coalition to Diversify Computing
 RISKS Forum
 ACM Association-Level Policy Activities on:
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Electronic Voting Systems
Intellectual Property / Copyright Protection
Privacy
Research and Data Access
Reliability of Computers
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Ethics for Computer, IT & IS Pros
Professional ethics concerns:
 One's conduct of behaviour and practice
while doing professional work,
 Relations with peers in the work place,
 Conduct of duties towards the employer,
 Obligations towards the customer,
 Responsibility for the future of the
profession at large.
 Responsibility for the wellbeing of the
society at large.
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IEEE Code of Ethics
(IEEE CoE 2006)
We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the importance of our
technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world, and in
accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members and the
communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest
ethical and professional conduct and agree:
1. to accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with the safety,
health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that
might endanger the public or the environment;
2. to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to
disclose them to affected parties when they do exist;
3. to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on
available data;
4. to reject bribery in all its forms;
5. to improve the understanding of technology, its appropriate application,
and potential consequences;
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IEEE Code of Ethics
(continued)
6. to maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake
technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or
experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitations;
7. to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to
acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit properly the
contributions of others;
8. to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion,
gender, disability, age, or national origin;
9. to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment
by false or malicious action;
10. to assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional
development and to support them in following this code of ethics.
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ACM Code of Ethics
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ACM enacted in 1972:
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Code of Professional Conduct, and,
Procedures for its Enforcement.
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An ACM member shall act at all times with integrity.
An ACM member should strive to increase his competence and
the competence and prestige of the profession.
An ACM member shall accept responsibility for his work.
An ACM member shall act with professional responsibility.
An ACM member should use his special knowledge and skills
for the advancement of human welfare.
It consisted of the following five canons, each of which was
further stipulated in terms of Ethical Considerations and
Disciplinary Rules:
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ACM Code of Ethics
(continued)
ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct was
adopted by ACM Council in 1992 as a major overhaul of
the earlier code.
It consists of a Preamble and four sections:
 General Moral Imperatives
 More Specific Professional Responsibilities
 Organizational Leadership Imperatives
 Compliance with the Code
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General Moral Imperatives
As an ACM member I will ....
1.1 Contribute to society and human well-being.
1.2 Avoid harm to others.
1.3 Be honest and trustworthy.
1.4 Be fair and take action not to discriminate.
1.5 Honor property rights including copyrights and
patent.
1.6 Give proper credit for intellectual property.
1.7 Respect the privacy of others.
1.8 Honor confidentiality.
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More Specific Professional
Responsibilities
As an ACM computing professional I will ....
2.1 Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness and
dignity in both the process and products of professional
work.
2.2 Acquire and maintain professional competence.
2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to
professional work.
2.4 Accept and provide appropriate professional review.
2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of
computer systems and their impacts, including analysis
of possible risks.
2.6 Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned
responsibilities.
2.7 Improve public understanding of computing and its
consequences.
2.8 Access computing and communication resources only
when authorized to do so.
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Organizational Leadership
Imperatives
As an ACM member and an organizational leader, I will ....
3.1 Articulate social responsibilities of members of an
organizational unit and encourage full acceptance of
those responsibilities.
3.2 Manage personnel and resources to design and build
information systems that enhance the quality of working
life.
3.3 Acknowledge and support proper and authorized uses of
an organization's computing and communication
resources.
3.4 Ensure that users and those who will be affected by a
system have their needs clearly articulated during the
assessment and design of requirements; later the
system must be validated to meet requirements.
3.5 Articulate and support policies that protect the dignity
of users and others affected by a computing system.
3.6 Create opportunities for members of the organization to
learn the principles and limitations of computer systems.
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Compliance with the Code
As an ACM member I will ....
4.1 Uphold and promote the principles of this Code.
4.2 Treat violations of this code as inconsistent with
membership in the ACM.
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ACM / IEEE Computer Society:
SWE Code of Ethics & Pro Practice
(ACM SWE CoE 1999)
The short version of the code summarizes aspirations at a high level of the
abstraction; the clauses that are included in the full version give examples and
details of how these aspirations change the way we act as software
engineering professionals.
Software engineers shall commit themselves to making the analysis,
specification, design, development, testing and maintenance of
software a beneficial and respected profession.
... software engineers shall adhere to the following Eight Principles:
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.
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ACM / IEEE Computer Society:
SWE Code of Ethics & Pro Practice
(cont’d)
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.
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Court of Ethics
 A play of five scenes
 On themes of professional
responsibility in software engineering
 by Graham Tritt, © 1988.
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Plagiarism
Bodur: Plagiarism Presentation
University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic
Matters defines plagiarism as follows:
“to represent an idea or work of another as
one's own idea or expression in any academic
examination, term test, or in connection with
any other form of academic work”.
Furthermore, committing plagiarism knowingly is
declared as an offence for a student.
NB: EMU Student Disciplinary Regulation, Article 6,
prescribes short and short-to-medium term
suspension for plagiarism.
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Avoiding Plagiarism: Styles
Standard Documentation Format of the University of Toronto
advises style guidelines to avoid being blamed of plagiarism:
 Acknowledge source of ideas even if you reword them by
giving proper reference at wherever the ideas are mentioned.
 Acknowledge source of quotes by giving proper reference then
and there.
 Proper reference should identify the referred work uniquely by
mentioning the author(s), title, publisher, and date of
publication according to the style manual.
 Internet resources are referenced supplying same data as
other references; additionally, URL and data last visited are
also given.
 Depending on the style manual, mention references in the
footnote or group them under the references section at the
end.
 “Common knowledge” of a field (such as, facts easily found in
standard reference books) may go without reference in order
to avoid clottering your work with excessive number of
references.
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Avoiding Plagiarism: Styles
Should you need further guidance on
styles:
- See How to Write Your Paper; and
- Seminar presentations on Academic
Publishing by Christine B .Feak of
Univ. of Michigan.
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Plagiarism: Code of Conduct
Association for Information Systems (AIS) Code of Research
Conduct offers guidance in matters directly related to the
research and publication of scholarly works, and particularly
those in the journals and conference proceedings of the AIS.
The Code is not a legal statement, but instead indicates ethically
desirable behaviour.
The Code is elaborated in three categories:
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CATEGORY ONE: must ALWAYS be adhered to
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CATEGORY TWO: Codes in this category are "recommended
ethical behaviour“
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GOOD ADVICE: suggestions on how to protect yourself
from authorship disputes, mis-steps, mistakes, and even legal
action.
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Plagiarism: AIS CRC
CATEGORY ONE: must ALWAYS be adhered to
 Do not take work from another and pass it off as your
own, i.e., plagiarize in any manner.
 Do not fabricate or falsify data, research procedures,
or data analysis.
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Plagiarism: AIS CRC
(continued)
CATEGORY TWO: "recommended ethical behaviour"
 Respect the rights of research subjects.
 Do not submit for publication or presentation articles or papers you
have already published elsewhere.
 Do not abuse the authority and responsibility you have been given as
an editor, reviewer or supervisor.
 Reveal to funding agencies or universities any material conflict of
interest, financial or otherwise.
 Do not take or use published data of others without acknowledgement
or unpublished data without both permission and acknowledgement.
 Do not submit for publication a manuscript that is currently under
review. Acknowledge the substantive contributions of all research
participants.
 Do not use unpublished writings, information, ideas, concepts or data.
 Use archival material only in accordance with the rules of the archival
source.
 Authors may place working paper versions of their articles on their
own website.
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Plagiarism: AIS CRC
(continued)
GOOD ADVICE: suggestions on how to protect yourself
from authorship disputes, mis-steps, mistakes, and
even legal action
 Maintain authorship documentation.
 Avoid "self plagiarism".
 Settle data set ownership issues before data
compilation.
 Consult senior colleagues if in doubt.
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Conclusion:
Nature of Codes
(ISWorld)
 Professional ethics concerns one's conduct and
practice while working.
 Any code is a formalisation of experience into a set of
rules.
 A code is adopted by a community because its
members accept to adhere and abide with their
restrictions.
 There is a distinction between a profession such as
Information Systems, and controlled professions such
as Medicine and Law, where the loss of membership
may also imply the loss of the right to practice.
 Professional ethics also concerns professional
indemnity.
 No two codes of ethics are identical. They vary by
cultural group, by profession and by discipline.
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Conclusion:
Nature of Codes (continued)
Codes of Ethics are concerned with a range of issues,
including:
 Academic honesty
 Adherence to confidentiality agreements
 Data privacy
 Handling of human subjects
 Impartiality in data analysis and professional
consulting
 Professional accountability
 Resolution of conflicts of interest
 Software piracy, and
 Plagiarism.
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Advantages of a Code of Ethics
A Code of Ethics enables us to:
 Set out the ideals and responsibilities of the
profession
 Exert a de facto regulatory effect, protecting both
clients and professionals
 Improve the profile of the profession
 Motivate and inspire practitioners, by attempting to
define their raison d'être
 Provide guidance on acceptable conduct
 Raise awareness and consciousness of issues
 Improve quality and consistency
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Disadvantages of a Code of Ethics
On the other hand, we must also consider:
 Whether the so-called standards are obligatory, or are
merely an aspiration
 Whether such a code is desirable or feasible
 Whether ethical values are universal or culturally
relativistic
 The difficulty of providing universal guidance given
the heterogeneous nature of the profession
 What the point is of specifying responsibilities, given
the limited regulatory function of a code.
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References
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IFIP: Harmonization of Professional Standards (1998):
http://www.ifip.or.at/minutes/C99/C99_harmonization.htm
Robert Davison and Ned Kock (Section Editors): ISWorld Professional
Ethics, AIS Assoc. for Info Systems:
http://www.is.cityu.edu.hk/research/resources/isworld/ethics/index.htm
(Contains extensive links to resources)
AIS Code of Research Conduct:
http://plone.aisnet.org/councils_governance/codeofconduct/
ACM Computing & Public Policy:
http://www.acm.org/serving/
ACM (1992). : ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct:
http://www.acm.org/constitution/code.html
ACM/IEEE-Computer Society: Software Engineering Code of Ethics and
Professional Practice at IEEE and at ACM (1999):
http://www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm
IEEE Code of Ethics:
http://www.ieee.org/portal/index.jsp?pageID=corp_level1&path=about/wha
tis&file=code.xml&xsl=generic.xsl
Professional Conduct links page:
http://cmpe.emu.edu.tr/aelci/News/professional_conduct.htm
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References

(continued)
Ethics and Information Technology Journal (Editor-in-Chief:
M.J.V.d. Hoven),
ISSN: 1388-1957 (print version), ISSN: 1572-8439 (electronic
version), Springer Netherlands
Ethics and Information Technology is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing
the dialogue between moral philosophy and the field of information and communication
technology (ICT).
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Gözde Dedeoğlu: Etik ve Bilişim, TBD Publications no: 13 (2001), Ankara,
ISBN: 975-96888-3-2
TBV: Meslek Etiği, http://www.tbv.org.tr/channels
Albert Bayet (Turkish translation by Vedat Günyol): Bilim Ahlakı, Türkiye İş
Bankası Kültür Yayınları, No: Genel 471 (2000). ISBN 975-458-227-0.
Philosophical treatise of ethics in science and scientific ethic.
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Turkish Resources on Pro Ethics
 Professional Ethics (“Meslek Etiği”), TBV:
www.TBV.org.tr
 Netiquette (“Internet İletişim Kuralları”),
TBV: www.TBV.org.tr
 Gözde Dedeoğlu: Etik ve Bilişim, TBD
Publications, (2001, Turkish)
 Albert Bayet (Turkish translation by Vedat
Günyol): Bilim Ahlakı, Türkiye İş Bankası
Kültür Yayınları, No: Genel 471 (2000).
ISBN 975-458-227-0.
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NEED TO ENACT:
Fair Use Policies:
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Acceptable Use Policy
Netiquette Rules
Information Policy Statements
Freedom of Expression Statement
Cyber Rights Statement
Blocking & Filtering Policy
Electronic Mail Policies
Internet Use Rights and Obligations
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Purchasing: Terms & Cond.’ns
 Example:
World Scientific Publishing Co.
"Pay per View" Terms &
Conditions:
 3. Permitted Access and Use; User
Responsibilities
 4. Copyright; Prohibitions on Certain
Uses
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ORGs
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www.w3c.org
www.eff.org
www.epic.org
www.cpsr.org
www.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk/
www.ifip.org
www.bcs.org
http://www.ifip.org/
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Pro Ethical Concerns
 Have you been to the EMU Bookstore
lately? Noticed the textbooks for EE
468 & ME 442?
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Current Interests
 ACM's Computers, Freedom and Privacy (CFP 2006)
Conference, May 2-5, Washington, DC, USA:
 Main theme: Life, Liberty and Digital Rights
 Check topics of interest
 Take note of site Privacy Policy statement.
 Professional and human rights activist Jack Minker to
receive the 2006 “ACM/AAAI Allen Newell Award” for
his advancements in logic-based computer science
methods and his contribution to scientific discourse.
 Impact of search censorship @ Yahoo, Google, ...
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