Appendix to Anderson
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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