Software Engineering Ethics: COMP 3521

• The lecture covers Professional Ethics in Software Engineering
• The topic is COMP 3521
• It covers the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

Topics

• Professional ethics
• ACM/IEEE Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice
• Case studies

Professional Ethics

• What it takes to be a computing professional:
  • Professional certification
  • Industry certification
  • University degree/diploma
  • Or none of the above

Professional Certification

• IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers): Enhances credibility, increases career opportunities, sets you apart, demonstrates commitment, results in respect, and increases confidence
  • IEEE homepage: https://www.ieee.org/index.html
• CIPS: Canada's Association of IT Professionals
  • CIPS homepage: http://www.cips.ca/http://www.cips.ca/

Industry certification

• Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) validates IT professional and developer technical expertise through rigorous exams covering a wide range of Microsoft products and technologies
• Cisco Network Administrator
• Many other third-party industry certification programs

University Education

• Degree: Offers theoretical (long-term and foundational items) and practical (short-term, specific technologies) knowledge
• Diploma: Offers practical (short-term, specific technologies) knowledge

Mother's Basement

• Many software professionals are self-taught
• Only about half of software developers have a credential related to what they are doing
• Many individuals in the computing industry call themselves software professionals without being trained
• In most professional fields, you cannot call yourself a professional without training and certification
• This has a big effect on the perceived professionalism of the field

ACM/IEEE-CS Software Engineering Code of Ethics

• Taken from: Gotterbarn et al. (2001, April). Software engineering code of ethics and professional practice. Science and Engineering Ethics, 7(2), 231–238. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278417404_Software_Engineering_Code_of_Ethics_and_Professional_Practice

Preamble

• Computers have a central and growing role in commerce, industry, government, medicine, education, entertainment, and society at large
• Software engineers contribute to the analysis, specification, design, development, certification, maintenance, and testing of software systems
• Software engineers have significant opportunities to do good or cause harm

Ensuring Good Practices

• Software engineers must commit themselves to making software engineering a beneficial and respected profession
• Software engineers shall adhere to the ACM/IEEE-CS: Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice
• The code contains eight principles related to the behavior of, and decisions made by, professional software engineers, including:
  • Practitioners, Managers, Policy makers, Educators, Supervisors, Trainees, and Students of the profession
• Principles identify ethically responsible relationships and primary obligations
• Clauses of each principle illustrate obligations
• Obligations are founded in humanity, special care, and unique elements of practice
• The code prescribes obligations of anyone claiming or aspiring to be a software engineer

Ethical Actions

• Individual parts of the code should not be used in isolation
• The list of principles and clauses is not exhaustive
• Clauses should not separate acceptable from unacceptable conduct
• The code is not a simple ethical algorithm; situations require ethical judgment
• Requires the software engineer to use ethical judgment consistent with the Code, given circumstances

Ethical Tensions

• Addressed by thoughtful consideration of principles, not blind reliance on regulations
• Principles should influence engineers to consider effects, examine colleagues' respect, consider public views, and analyze the impact on the least empowered
• Concern for public health, safety, and welfare is primary

The Code

• Requires a code that is adaptable and relevant to new situations
• Provides support for engineers and managers, documenting the profession's ethical stance
• Provides an ethical foundation for individuals and the team
• Helps define ethically improper actions
• Is not simply for adjudicating questionable acts; it has an important educational function
• Expresses the profession's consensus, educating on ethical obligations

Principles

• Eight principles according to ACM/IEEE Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice:
  • Public
  • Client and employer
  • Product
  • Judgement
  • Management
  • Profession
  • Colleagues
  • Self

Principle 1: Public

• Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest by:
  • Accepting responsibility for their work
  • Moderating interests with the public good
  • Approving safe and non-harmful software
  • Disclosing potential dangers
  • Cooperating on public concerns
  • Being fair and avoiding deception
  • Considering disabilities and resource allocation
  • Volunteering skills for public education

Principle 2: Client and Employer

• Software engineers shall act in the best interest of their client and employer, consistent with the public interest by:
  • Providing competent service,
  • Not using illegal software
  • Using property with proper authorization
  • Ensuring document approval
  • Keeping confidentiality
  • Reporting potential project failures
  • Reporting social concerns in software
  • Not accepting detrimental outside work
  • Not promoting adverse interests unless ethical concerns arise

Principle 3: Product

• Software engineers shall ensure that their products and modifications meet the highest professional standards possible by:
  • Striving for high quality and acceptable cost
  • Ensuring proper goals
  • Addressing ethical, economic, cultural, legal, and environmental issues
  • Being qualified
  • Using appropriate methods
  • Following professional standards
  • Fully understanding specifications
  • Ensuring well-documented specifications that satisfy users
  • Ensuring realistic estimates
  • Ensuring adequate testing
  • Ensuring adequate documentation
  • Developing software that respects privacy
  • Only using accurate data
  • Maintaining data integrity
  • Treating all software maintenance as new development

Principle 4: Judgement

• Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment by:
  • Tempering judgments with human values
  • Endorsing documents prepared under supervision or in areas of competence
  • Maintaining objectivity in evaluations
  • Avoiding deceptive financial practices
  • Disclosing conflicts of interest
  • Refusing to participate in bodies with undisclosed conflicts

Principle 5: Management

• Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to software development and maintenance by:
  • Ensuring good management
  • Informing engineers of standards
  • Ensuring knowledge of employer policies
  • Assigning work appropriately
  • Ensuring realistic estimates
  • Attracting engineers with accurate descriptions
  • Offering fair remuneration
  • Not unjustly preventing someone from taking a position
  • Ensuring fair agreements concerning ownership
  • Providing due process
  • Not asking engineers to do anything inconsistent with this Code
  • Not punishing anyone for expressing ethical concerns

Principle 6: Profession

• Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest by:
  • Helping develop ethical environments
  • Promoting public knowledge
  • Extending knowledge through participation
  • Supporting other engineers following the Code
  • Not promoting own interest at the expense of the profession, client or employer
  • Obeying laws unless compliance is inconsistent with public interest
  • Being accurate in stating software characteristics
  • Taking responsibility for errors
  • Ensuring clients and supervisors know of code commitment
  • Avoiding conflicted associations
  • Recognizing violations as inconsistent
  • Expressing concerns over violations
  • Reporting significant violations

Principle 7: Colleagues

• Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues by:
  • Encouraging colleagues to adhere to this Code
  • Assisting in professional development
  • Crediting work fully
  • Reviewing work objectively
  • Giving fair hearings
  • Assisting in awareness of work practices and security
  • Not unfairly intervening in careers
  • Calling upon competent professionals as needed

Principle 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 by:
  • Furthering knowledge of developments
  • Improving ability to create safe and useful software
  • Improving ability to produce accurate documentation
  • Improving understanding of software and its environment
  • Improving knowledge of relevant standards and laws
  • Improving knowledge of this Code
  • Not giving unfair treatment
  • Not influencing breaches of this Code
  • Recognizing personal violations

Case studies

• University of Puerto Rico
  • Centre for Ethics in the Professions
  • Brief ethics cases: Machado Case and Hughes Aircraft Case
• Computer ethics cases: The Case of the Troubled Computer Programmer, and Hooked on Electronic Services
• ComputingCases.org
  • Series of in-depth complex computer ethical cases
  • http://computingcases.org/case_materials/case_materials.html
  • Includes: Therac-25, Educational Laptops, Biomatrix, Carnivore, Toysmart