Code of Ethics for Technology Professionals

Some computer errors can be trivial, but others could have catastrophic consequences.

Technology professionals do not have a single overarching code of ethics like medical professionals do: There is not a technological counterpart to the Hippocratic Oath used by doctors. Instead, there are dozens of professional associations regulating the ethical issues associated with modern technology. However, even among separate organizations with diverse agendas, their ethical codes have significant common ground.

Health and Safety

Therac-25 was the first killer robot--a malfunction in the radiation therapy machine's programming led to it give 100 times the intended radiation to some patients. Though not every software error is equally lethal, computerized power plants, airplanes and medical life-support systems are just a few instances of applications where technological excellence can be a matter of life or death. Thus, the code of ethics of the Institute for Electric and Electronic Engineers calls for its members 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."

Privacy

"Computing and communication technology enables the collection and exchange of personal information on a scale unprecedented in the history of civilization," reads the code of ethics of the Association for Computing Machinery. Privacy is one of the foremost concerns of the technology professional, who must protect it from unauthorized access and accidental disclosure. This responsibility can become particularly difficult to uphold for professionals based in countries with little respect for the privacy of the citizen, as was the case in the tense negotiations between Google and the government of China in 2010.

Capability

For professional associations, competence matters. Thus, the code of ethics of most every technological association calls for development of one's skill and knowledge of one's limitations. For example, the code for the Institution for Engineering and Technology reads: "Members shall not undertake professional tasks and responsibilities that they do not believe themselves competent to discharge." The Association for Educational Communications and Technology echoes: The member "shall strive continually to improve professional knowledge and skill and to make available to patrons and colleagues the benefit of that person's professional attainments."

Intellectual Property

The most valuable resources of technology professionals are information and ideas. Thus, codes of ethics for their associations call for respect for intellectual property and confidentiality agreements. "Computing professionals are obligated to protect the integrity of intellectual property. Specifically, one must not take credit for others' ideas or work, even in cases where the work has not been explicitly protected by copyright, patent, etc.," reads the Association for Computing Machinery code of ethics.

In Theory

Professional associations are not the only bodies concerned with the ethics of technology. There are also academic bodies, such as the Union of Concerned Scientists or the Institute for Ethics and Emergent Technology, that are constantly setting the theoretical background in which the codes used by actual practitioners is based.

References

• Asociation for Computing Machinery: Code of Ethics
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers: Code of Ethics
• Institution of Engineering and Technology: Rules of Conduct