Chapter 3.1 Professional Ethics and Codes of Conduct for Computer Professionals

Editor:Herman Tavani
Maintained by: David Vance
CPSR Copyright © 1996


[Introduction] [Bibliography Main Page] [I.S.Ethics Main Page]
[3.1.1 Professional Ethics and Computer Professionals ] [3.1.2 Professional Computer Organizations and Ethical Codes of Conduct ] [3.1.3 Interpreting and Assessing Professional Codes of Ethics ]
3.1 Professional Ethics and Codes of Conduct for Computer Professionals

Works cited in Section 4.1 focus on professional ethics in general and ethical issues in the computer profession in particular. Professional organizations concerned with ethical and social issues in computing are listed in Section 4.2. Sources in this section also identify specific ethical codes adopted by various professional organizations. Entries concerned with interpreting and assessing those professional codes are included in Section 4.3.


3.1.1 Professional Ethics and Computer Professionals

Appelbaum, David and Sarah Verone Lawton, eds. Ethics and the Professions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.

Baron, Marcia. The Moral Status of Loyalty. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt, 1984.

Baumrin, Bernard and Benjamin Freedman, eds. Moral Responsibility and the Professions. NY: Haven Publications, 1983.

Bayles, Michael D. Professional Ethics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Inc., 1981.

Behrman, J. N. Essays on Ethics in Business and the Professions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988.

Bogges, Gene. "Certification of Computer Professionals: A Good Idea?," in Ethics in the Age of Computers: Proceedings of the 1994 ACM/SIGCAS Conference. NY: ACM Press, pp. 28-29.

Callahan, Joan. Ethical Issues in Professional Life. NY: Oxford University Press, 1968.

Camenisch, Paul F. Grounding Professional Ethics in a Pluralistic Society. NY: Haven Publications, 1990.

Collins, W. Robert and Keith W. Miller. "Paramedic Ethics for Computer Professionals," in D. Johnson and H. Nissenbaum, eds. Computers, Ethics & Social Values. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995, pp. 39-56.

Couger, J. D. "Providing Norms on Ethics to Entering Employees," Journal of Systems Management, Vol. 35, No. 2, February 1984, pp. 40-43.

Dunlop, C. and R. Kling. "Ethical Perspectives and Professional Responsibilities," in Computerization and Controversy, San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1991, pp. 654-663.

Feinberg, Joel. "Collective Responsibility," in J. Feinberg, ed. Doing and Deserving. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1970.

Fielder, John. "Organizational Loyalty," Business and Professional Ethics Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 71-90.

Flores, A. and D. Johnson. "Collective Responsibility and Professional Roles," Ethics, Vol. 93, April 1983.

Forester, Tom and Perry Morrison. "Ethics and the Computer Professional," in Computer Ethics: Cautionary Tales and Ethical Dilemmas in Computing. 2nd ed. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1994, pp. 16-19.

Friedman, Hershey H. and Linda Weiser Friedman. "Myths, Unethical Practices, Personnel Requirements: What do Computer Industry Professionals Really Believe?," Journal of Systems and Software, Vol. 10, September 1989, pp. 151-153.

Gentile, Mary and John Sviokla. "Information Technology in Organizations: Emerging Issues in Ethics and Policy," Harvard Business School Publications, 1991.

Goldman, Alan. The Moral Foundation of Professional Ethics. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1980.

Gotterbarn, Donald. "Computer Ethics: Responsibility Regained," National Forum, Vol. 71, No. 3, Summer 1991, pp. 26-31.

Gotterbarn, Donald. "Ethics and the Computing Professional," Collegiate Microcomputer, Vol. 10, No. 3, August 1991.

Gotterbarn, Donald. "Do the Right Thing," Chief Information Offices Journal, Vol. 5, No. 12, May 15, 1992, pp. 26-27.

Gotterbarn, Donald. "The Captain Knows Best -- Continued and Distributed Unstability," Computers and Society, Vol. 24, No. 1, March 1994, pp. 19-20.

Gotterbarn, Donald. "Standards for Certifying Computer Technicians Professionals," in Ethics in the Computer Age: Proceedings of the 1994 ACM/SIGCAS Conference. NY: ACM Press, pp. 178-179.

Hart, H. L. A. "Postscript: Responsibility and Retribution," in Punishment and Responsibility. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968.

Hoffman, Michael and Jennifer Mills Moore, eds. Ethics and the Management of Computer Technology. Cambridge, MA: Oelgeschlager, Gunn and Hain, 1982.

Houck, John W. and Oliver F. Williams, ed. Is the Good Corporation Dead? Social Responsibility in a Global Economy. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1996.

Huff, Chuck and Bruce Jawer. "Toward a Design Ethic for Computer Professionals," in C. Huff and T. Finholt, eds. Social Issues in Computing: Putting Computing in Its Place. NY: McGraw Hill, 1994, pp. 691-712. Portions reprinted in Computers and Society, Vol. 25, No. 1, March 1995, pp. 12-17.

Johnson, Deborah. "Professional Ethics," Chap. 3 in Computer Ethics. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985.

Johnson, Deborah. "The Social Responsibility of Computer Professionals," Journal of Computing and Society, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1991, pp. 107-118.

May, L. and S. Hoffman, eds. Collective Responsibility. Totowa. NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1991.

Milter, Richard G. "Ensuring Ethical Behavior in Organizations," in Ethics in the Computer Age: Proceedings of the 1994 ACM/SIGCAS Conference. NY: ACM Press, pp. 143-144.

Mylott, T. R. III. "Computer Professional Malpractice," Santa Clara Computer and High Technology Review, Vol. 2, 1986, pp. 239-270.

Neumann, Peter G. "Certifying Professionals," Communications of the ACM, Vol. 34, No. 2, February 1991.

Newman, Michael. "Professionals and Expert Systems," Computers and Society, Vol. 18, No. 3, July 1988, pp. 14-27.

Oz, Effy. "When Professional Standards are Lax," Communications of the ACM, Vol. 37, No. 10, October 1994, pp. 29-36.

Palmiter, C. William. "Call for Responsibility in Ethical Issues for IS Professionals," in Ethics in the Computer Age: Proceedings of the 1994 ACM/SIGCAS Conference. NY: ACM Press, 197-203.

Parker, Donn B. "Personal Morality and Organizational Loyalty," Chap. 4. in Ethical Conflicts in Computer Science and Technology. Menlo Park, CA: AFIPS Press, 1981.

Rosenberg, Richard. "Ethics and Professionalism," Chap. 14 in The Social Impact of Computers. Boston, MA: Academic Press, 1992.

Trauth, Eileen M. "The Professional Responsibility of the Technowledgeable," Computers and Society, Vol. 13, No. 1, 1982, pp. 17-21.

Werhane, Patricia and Kendall D'Andrade, eds. Profit and Responsibility: Issues in Business and Professional Ethics. NY: E. Mellen Press, 1985.

Winograd, Terry. "Computers, Ethics and Social Responsibility," in Terrell Bynum, Walter Maner, and John L. Fodor, eds. Computing and Human Values: Proceedings of the 1991 National Conference. New Haven: Research Center on Computing and Society (RCCS), 1992. Reprinted in D. Johnson and H. Nissenbaum, eds. Computers, Ethics & Social Values. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995, pp. 25-39.

Windt, Peter, et al., eds. Ethical Issues in the Professions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1989.

Wueste, Daniel, ed. Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility. Lanham, MD Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1994.

Zucker, Arthur. "Information-Age Organizations: No New Ethics Need Apply," in Ethics in the Computer Age: Proceeding of the 1994 ACM/SIGCAS Conference. NY: ACM Press, pp. 137-138.


3.1.2 Professional Computer Organizations And Ethical Codes Of Conduct

Academic Services Division Code of Ethics for Computing and Information Resources, Computing and Library Services of Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA.

ACM Code of Professional Conduct and Procedures for Enforcement of ACM Code of Professional Conduct (1972, revised 1993), ASSOCIATION fOR COMPUTING MACHINERY (ACM), Inc., 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036.

ACM/SIGCAS, Special Interest Group in Computers and Society (SIGCAS), ACM, 11 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

APA Subcommittee on Computer Technology and Ethics (APA Committee on Computer Use in Philosophy), The American Philosophical Association (APA), University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716.

BCS Code of Conduct, THE BRITISH COMPUTER SOCIETY (BCS), 29 Portland Place, London.

Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, Albert Street, Suite 1414, Ottawa, Ontario.

Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions, Illinois Institute of Technology, 176 Life Sciences Building, Chicago, IL 60616.

CIPS Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct. Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS).

Computer Ethics Institute, The Brookings Institution, 1775 Mass. Ave., NW, Washington, DC.

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR), P.O. Box 717, Palo Alto, CA. 94302.

DPMA Code of Ethics, Standard of Conduct and Enforcement Procedures, Data Processing Management Association. DPMA Position Statement Handbook, DATA MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION, 505 Busse Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068 (revised January 1989).

EDUCOM. Suite 600, 112 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). 155 Second Street, Cambridge, MA 02141.

ICCP Code of Ethics. Your Guide to certification as a COMPUTER PROFESSIONAL (ICCP), 2200 E. Devon Avenue, Suite 268, DePlaines, IL 60018.

IEEE Code of Ethics, INSTITUTE of ELECTRICAL and ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING (IEEE) 345 East 47th St., New York, NY 10017.

IEEE-CS/ACM. Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices (SEEP), East Tennessee State University, Box 23 830-A, Johnson City, TN 37614.

IEEE-SSIT. Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT), IEEE, 345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017.

IFIP Code of Ethics, Revision of the Preliminary IFIP Code of Ethics (1990). Unpublished Draft. Harold Sackman, California State University, Los Angeles, CA.

ISTE Code of Ethical Conduct for Computer-Using Educators, INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY fOR TECHNOLOGY iN EDUCATION (ISTE), University of Oregon, 1787 Agate Street, Eugene, OR 97403-1923.

ITAA (ADAPSO) Recommended Code of Ethics for Professional Service Firms. The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA).

Research Center on Computing and Society (RCCS), Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515.

STC Code of Communication, SOCIETY fOR TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION (STC), Washington, DC.

Swedish Ethical Rules for Computer Professionals ("Etik for datafolk" by SIF, SBMF and FTF).


3.1.3 Interpreting And Assessing Professional Codes Of Ethics

Anderson, Ronald E. "The ACM Code of Ethics: History, Process, and Implications," in C. Huff and T. Finholt, eds. Social Issues in Computing. NY: McGraw Hill, 1994, pp. 48-71.

Anderson, Ronald E., D. Johnson, D Gotterbarn, and J. Perrolle. "ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct," Communications of the ACM," Vol. 35, 1992, pp. 94-99.

Anderson, Ronald E., D. Johnson, D Gotterbarn, and J. Perrolle. "Using the New ACM Code of Ethics in Decision Making," Communications of the ACM, Vol. 36, No. 2, February 1993, pp. 98-107.

Barnes, Robert F. "The Making of an Ethics Code," Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science, August/September, 1990, pp. 24-25.

Bucholz, W. J. "Deciphering Professional Codes of Ethics," IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, Vol. 32, No. 2, 1989, pp. 62-68.

Chalk, R., M. Frankel and S. Schaefer. AAAS Professional Ethics Project: Professional Ethics Activities in the Scientific and Engineering Societies. Washington, DC: American Association For The Advancement of Science, 1980.

"Computer Ethics Statement," College & Research Libraries News, Vol. 54, No. 6, June 1993, pp. 331-332.

Cressey, Donald and Charles Moore. Corporation Codes of Conduct. Santa Barbara, CA: University of California Press, 1980.

Dahlbom, Bo and Lars Mathiassen. "A Scandinavian View of the ACM's Code of Ethics," Computers and Society, June 1994, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 14-20.

Davis, Michael. "Thinking Like an Engineer: The Place of a Code of Ethics in the Practice of a Profession," Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 20, No. 2, 1992, pp. 150-167. Reprinted in D. Johnson and H. Nissenbaum, eds. Computers, Ethics & Social Values. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995, pp. 586-597.

Flores, A. "The Problem of Professionalism: A Code of Ethics," in R. Baum and A. Flores, eds. Ethical Problems in Engineering: Reading. 2nd ed. (Vol. 1). Troy, NY: Rennselear Polytechnic Institute, 1980, pp. 1-6.

Forcht, Karen A. "Assessing the Ethical Standards and Policies in Computer-Based Environments," in R. Dejoie et al., eds. Ethical Issues In Information Systems. Boston, MA: Boyd and Fraser, 1991, pp. 56-69.

Frankel, Mark. "Professional Codes: Why, How, and With What Impact?" Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 8, Nos. 2 and 3, 1989, pp. 109-116.

Johnson, Douglas. "An Ethic for a Computer Society," Chap. 5 in Computer Ethics: A Guide for the New Age. Elgin, IL: The Brethren Press, 1984.

Ladd, John. "The Quest for a Code for Professional Ethics: An Intellectual and Moral Confusion," in R. Chalk, M. Frankel and S. Chafer, eds. AAAS Professional Ethics Project: Professional Ethics Activities in the Scientific and Engineering Societies. Washington, DC: AAAS, 1980, pp. 154-159. Reprinted in D. John and J. Snapper, eds. Ethical Issues in the Use of Computers. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, CA, 1985, pp. 8-13.

Lee, John A. N. and Jacques Berleur. "Progress Towards a World-Wide Code of Conduct," in Proceedings of the 1994 ACM/SIGCAS Conference: Ethics in the Age of Computers. NY: ACM Press, pp. 100-104.

Martin, C. Dianne and David H. Martin. "Professional Codes of Conduct and Computer Ethics Communication," Computers And Society, Vol. 20, No. 2, June 1990, pp. 18-19.

Martin, C. Dianne and David H. Martin. "Comparison of Ethics Codes of Computer Professionals," Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1990, pp. 96-108.

Martin, C. Dianne and David H. Martin. "The Computer Ethics Dilemma," in T. Bynum, et al., eds. Computing and Human Values: Proceedings of the 1991 National Conference. New Haven CT: Research Center for Computing and Society (RCCS), 1992.

Martin, C. Dianne and David H. Martin. "The Efficacy of Ethics Codes for Computer Professionals," in Information Processing '92: Proceedings of the 12th World Computer Congress. (Published in Vol. II of Education and Society, Elsevier: North Holland, 1992).

Martin, C. Dianne and David H. Martin. "Thematic Analysis of the New ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct," Computers and Society, June 1994, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 21-26.

Martin, Michael and Roland Schinzinger. "Codes of Ethics," in Ethics and Engineering. 2nd ed. NY: McGraw Hill, 1989, pp. 86-91. Reprinted in D. Johnson and H. Nissenbaum, eds. Computers, Ethics & Social Values. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995, pp. 576-580.

McFarland, Michael C. "Urgency of Ethical Standards Intensifies in Computer Community," IEEE Computer, Vol. 23, March 1990, pp. 77-81.

Oldenquist, A and E. Slowter. "Proposed: A Single Code of Ethics for All Engineers," Professional Engineers, Vol. 49, pp. 8-11.

Oz, Effy. "Ethical Codes of Professional Organizations," Chap. 6 in Ethics for the Information Age, Burr Ridge, IL: Business and Educational Technologies, 1994.

Sackman, Harold. "A Prototype IFIP Code of Ethics Based on Participative International Consensus," in C. Dunlop and R. Kling, eds. Computerization and Controversy. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1991, pp. 698-703.

Sackman, Harold. "Aims and Scope of the Draft IFIP Code of Ethics," in Information Processing '92: Proceedings of the 12th World Computer Congress. (Published in Vol. II: Education and Society. North Holland: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1992.)

Sawyer, Fay. "What Should Professional Societies Do About Ethics," in D. Johnson and J. Snapper, eds. Ethical Issues in the Use of Computers. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishers, 1985, pp. 43-49.

Shore, John. "Why I Never Met a Programmer I Could Trust," CPSR Newsletter. Reprinted in R. Dejoie et al., eds. Ethical Issues in Information Systems. Boston, MA: Boyd and Fraser, 1991, pp. 97-102.

Weiss, Eric A. "Self Assessment Procedure IX: Self Assessment Procedure Dealing With Ethics in Computing," Communications of the ACM, November 1982, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 183-195.

Weiss, Eric A. "Self-Assessment Procedure XXII," Communications of the ACM, 1990, Vol. 33, No. 11, pp. 110-134.