# Professional Codes of Conduct **Professional Ethics** - A set of morally permissible standards of a group that each member of the group wants every other member of the group to follow even if their doing so would mean that he/she must do the same `Micheal Davis, Professional Code and Ethics Burlington: Ashgate 2001` ## Morally permissible - Morality is ubiquitous, as moral standards apply to everyone - Professional ethics only apply to the members of particular groups (such as lawyers, doctors etc) **Ethical does not equal moral** >For example it is against ethical standards in the USA for doctors to advertise prices for their services, but there is nothing inherently immoral about advertising prices for services. - An action may be morally permissible but unethical - It is also possible to behave ethically but apparently immorally - Professional ethics requires that one behaves consistently with the standards of the group. **Professional ethics is a subset of moral concerns** - Morality encompasses societal reasoning and norms of conduct as to what constitutes right and wrong - Professional ethics govern professional practice with respect to particular moral issues or challenges like *algorithmic decisions* - As the broader social-moral order evolves so do professional ethics, like ACM Code of Ethics ## Standards Govern professional practice Standards consist of: - Principles - Rules of Conduct - Embedded in code of conduct or code of ethics >A professional puts profession first. When a conflict arises between the professional's code and the policy of an employer or the law, the professional's code must take precedence - Brinkman & Sanders, *Ethics in Computing Culture.* Boston: Cengage Learning, 2013. ### Shared by a Group Standards are shared by a cohort of people engaged in professional activity **What constitutes professional activity?** - Provides an important service to soceity - Requires extensive training - Involves significant intellectual effort - Organisation of members - Individual autonomy - Certification or Licensing #### Is computing a profession? The problematic static of computing - Lack of accreditation, certification or licensing + No single organisation of members for the computing profession Question is immaterial: The harms enabled by computing mean that computing professionals still have important ethical obligations >Programmers need ethics when designing the technologies that influence people's lives - President of the ACM We still need professional ethics in computing even if computings professional status is dubitable. - We need ethics if we are to be considered professionals > It is impossible to satisfy the definition of profession without a code of ethics, impossible to teach 'professionalism' without teaching the code, and indeed impossible to understand professions without understanding them as bound by such a code. Without a code of ethics, there are only honest occupations, trade associations, and the like - Micheal Davis ## The Different Codes #### British Computer Society (BCS) ##### Public Interest These standards require: - You have due regard for public health, privacy, security and the wellbeing of others and the environment in your work - Your work has due regard for the legitimate rights of third parties - You conduct your professional activities without discrimination - You promote equal access to the benefits of IT ##### Professional competence and integrity - Only undertake to do work or provide a service that is within your professional competence - Do not claim a level of competence that you do not possess - Continue to develop professional knowledge relevant to your field - Ensure that you have the knowledge and understanding of relevent legislation - Respect and value alternate viewpoints - Avoid injuring others - Reject and will not make any offer of bribery or unethical inducement ##### Duty to relevant authority - Carry out your professional responsiblities with due care and diligence - Avoid situations that conflict with the interests of relevant authorities - Accept professioal responsibilities for your work - Do not disclose confidential information - Do not misrepresent or withhold information on the performance of products, system or services ##### Duty to Profession - Accept your personal duty to uphold the reputation of the profession - Seek to improve professional standards - Uphold the reputation and good standing of BCS - Act with integrity and respect in your professional relationships - Notify the BCS if convicted of a criminal offence - Support fellow members in their professional development #### Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ![img](img/a.png) Covers about half of what the BCS covers, little attention to duty to relevant authority which undermines its commitment to the highest ethical and professional conduct. #### Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) 25 principles governing professional conduct - 7 general ethical principles - 9 principles governing professional responsiblities - 7 principles of professional leadership - 2 principles of compliance ##### General ethical principles - Contribute to society and human well-being - Avoid harm - Be honest and trustworthy - Be fair and take action not to discriminate - Respect the work of others - Respect privacy - Honor confidentiality - Unless in cases in which it is evidence of the violation of law or the code itself This links to the BCS public interest requirement ##### Professional responsibilities - Strive to achieve high quality work - Maintain high standards to professional competence - Know and respect rules pertaining to professional work - Accept and provide appropriate professional review - Evaluate computer systems and possible risks - Providing objective evaluations for employers or clients - Perform work only in areas of competence - Foster public awareness and understanding of computing - Access computing only when authorised or for public good - Basically **do not hack**, unless it is to disrupt or inhibit malicious systems - Design and implement robust and secure systems - Does not link to BCS code however important ##### Professional leadership Principles - Ensure centrality of public good - Promote social responsibility - Enhance quality of working life - Support the principles of the code - Create oppotunities for professional development - User care when modifying or retiring systems - Take special care of systems integrated in societal infrastructure ##### Compliance with the Code - Uphold, promote and respect the principles of the code - Treat violations as inconsistent with ACM membership ## ACM & BCS Code of Ethics #### Mapping - More to the ACM code - But a strong relationship between the two exists, although it is not always direct