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- Preamble
- General Moral Imperatives
- Additional Professional Obligations
- Organizational Leadership Imperatives
- Compliance with the Code
2. Additional Professional Obligations
As an ACM computing professional I will…
2.1 Strive to achieve the highest quality in the processes and products of my work.
Excellence is perhaps the most important obligation of a service profession. The computing professional must strive to achieve quality and to be cognizant of the serious negative consequences that may result from inadequacies in a system.
2.2 Acquire and maintain professional competence.
Excellence in a self-regulating profession depends upon individuals who take responsibility for acquiring and maintaining competence. In addition, individual members should participate in setting common standards for appropriate levels of competence. Upgrading technical knowledge and competence can be achieved in several ways: independent study, seminar and course attendance, and involvement in professional organizations.
2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to my professional work.
Since computer professionals live in societies with legal systems, they should respect and obey existing local, state, national, and international laws unless there is an ethical basis not to do so. Policies and procedures of the organizations in which one participates should also be obeyed. But compliance must be balanced with the recognition that sometimes existing laws and rules can be immoral and, therefore, must be challenged. Thus violation of a law or regulation may be ethical when that law or rule has inadequate moral basis. If one decides to violate a law or rule because it is viewed as unethical, one must fully accept responsibility for one’s actions and for the consequences.
2.4 Encourage review by peers and all relevant groups.
The advancement of a professional community depends upon extensive review and critique of one another’s work. Individual members should seek and utilize peer review of ideas their tangible outcomes. Fulfilling this obligation may result in professional enrichment, help reduce system problems, and improve quality.
2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems, their impacts, and possible risks.
Computer professionals should strive to be perceptive,
thorough, and objective when evaluating, recommending, and presenting
system descriptions and alternatives. Computer professionals are in a
position of special trust, and therefore have a special responsibility
to provide objective and well-grounded evaluations to employers, clients,
users, and the public. To avoid conflicts of interest, any relevant sources
of non-objectivity should be disclosed.
As noted in the discussion of principle 1.2 on avoiding harm, any signs
of danger from systems should be reported to those appropriate to their
resolution. Additional action may also be necessary, but before “whistle
blowing,” risk must be thoroughly and comprehensively assessed.
2.6 Honor contracts, agreements, and acknowledged responsibilities.
Honoring one’s commitments is a matter of integrity
and honesty. For the computer professional this includes ensuring that
system elements perform as intended. When one contracts for work with
another party, there is an obligation to keep that party properly informed
about progress toward completing that work.
A computing professional has a responsibility to turn down any assignment
that he or she feels cannot be completed as defined. Only after serious
consideration and with full disclosure of risks and concerns to the employer
or client, should one accept the assignment. The major underlying principle
here is the obligation to accept personal accountability for professional
work. On some occasions, other ethical principles may take greater priority.
2.7 Improve public understanding of computing and its consequences.
Computing professionals have a responsibility to share technical knowledge with the public by encouraging general understanding of computing, including the consequences of computer systems and their limitations. This general imperative implies an obligation to counter any false views related to computing.
Go to: Organizational Leadership Imperatives
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