CmpE 598- 28.03.2006 [email protected] PROFESSIONAL ETHICS FOR PROFESSIONALS OF COMPUTER & INFO TECH

CmpE 598- 28.03.2006

[email protected] 1

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

FOR PROFESSIONALSOF

COMPUTER & INFO TECH

CmpE 598- 28.03.2006 [email protected] 2

Agenda

Intro: IFIP Harmonization of Pro Standards: summary Definitions: NCEES Variance in concerns: ACM Computing & Public Policy

Computer, IT, IS Pro Ethics Intro: ISWorld Ethics IEEE Ethics ACM Code of Ethics ACM / IEEE CS: Software Engineering Code of Ethics & Pro Practice

Plagiarism Student Guidance Code of Research Conduct

Conclusions: Nature of Codes Advantages & Disadvantages

Further on


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. Established body of knowledge:

Practitioners must be aware of and have access to a well-documented current body of knowledge relevant to the domain of practice.

Education and training:The minimum level of mastery of the body of knowledge must be at the baccalaureate level.

Professional experience: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.

Best practice and proven methodologies:Practitioners should be familiar with current best practice and relevant proven methodologies.

Maintenance of competence:Practitioners must be able to provide evidence of their maintenance of competence.


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: 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.


Variance in Ethical ConcernsACM 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:

Electronic Voting Systems Intellectual Property / Copyright Protection Privacy Research and Data Access Reliability of Computers


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.


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;


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.


ACM Code of Ethics

ACM enacted in 1972: Code of Professional Conduct, and, Procedures for its Enforcement.

It consisted of the following five canons, each of which was further stipulated in terms of Ethical Considerations and Disciplinary Rules: 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.


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


General Moral ImperativesAs 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.


More Specific Professional ResponsibilitiesAs 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.


Organizational Leadership ImperativesAs 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.


Compliance with the CodeAs 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.


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.


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.


Court of Ethics

A play of five scenes On themes of professional

responsibility in software engineering by Graham Tritt, © 1988.


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.


Avoiding Plagiarism: StylesStandard 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.


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.


Plagiarism: Code of ConductAssociation 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:

CATEGORY ONE: must ALWAYS be adhered to

CATEGORY TWO: Codes in this category are "recommended ethical behaviour“

GOOD ADVICE: suggestions on how to protect yourself from authorship disputes, mis-steps, mistakes, and even legal action.


Plagiarism: AIS CRCCATEGORY 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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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


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.


References 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/whatis&file=code.xml&xsl=generic.xsl

Professional Conduct links page:http://cmpe.emu.edu.tr/aelci/News/professional_conduct.htm


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 NetherlandsEthics 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).

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.


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.


NEED TO ENACT: Fair Use Policies:

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


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


ORGs 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/


Pro Ethical Concerns

Have you been to the EMU Bookstore lately? Noticed the textbooks for EE 468 & ME 442?


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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CmpE 598- 28.03.2006 [email protected] PROFESSIONAL ETHICS FOR PROFESSIONALS OF COMPUTER & INFO TECH