LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., 14 January 2016 — A joint task force of the IEEE Computer Society and the ACM recently approved the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, advancing the levels of professionalism for software engineering.
After an extensive review process, version 5.2 of the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, recommended last year by the IEEE-CS/ACM Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices, was adopted by both the IEEE Computer Society and the ACM.
The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, intended as a standard for teaching and practicing software engineering, documents the ethical and professional obligations of software engineers. The code should instruct practitioners about the standards society expects them to meet, about what their peers strive for, and about what to expect of one another. In addition, the code should inform the public about the responsibilities that are important to the profession.
Adopted by the CS and the ACM — two leading international computing societies — the code of ethics is intended as a guide for members of the evolving software engineering professionalism. The code was developed by a multinational task force with additional input from other professionals from industry, government posts, military installations, and educational professions.
In the same spirit that created the code of ethics, the IEEE Computer Society and the ACM continue to support the software engineering profession through the Software Engineering Professionalism and Ethics Project. This project will help make the code an effective practical tool by publishing case studies, supporting further corporate adoption of the code, developing curriculum material, running workshops, and collaborating with licensing bodies and professional societies.
