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