Identify the clauses of the ACM/IEEE Code of ethics for Software Engineers code
ID: 3828181 • Letter: I
Question
Identify the clauses of the ACM/IEEE Code of ethics for Software Engineers code of ethics which are relevant for the case described below (specify the number, such as 2.04), and briefly explain how each applies.
Kessali Smith owns her own consulting business, and has several people working for her. Kessali is currently designing a database management system for the personnel office of BlubberItInc., a mid-sized company that makes toys. Kessali has involved BlubberItInc. management in the design process from the start of the project. It is now time to decide about the kind and degree of security to build into the system. Kessali has described several options to the client. The client has decided to opt for the least secure system because the system is going to cost more than was initially planned, and the least secure option is the cheapest security option. Kessali knows that the database includes sensitive information, such as performance evaluations, medical records, and salaries. With weak security, she fears that enterprising BlubberItInc. employees will be able to easily access this sensitive data. Furthermore, she fears that the system will be an easy target for external hackers. Kessali feels strongly that the system should be more secure than it would be if the least secure option is selected. Ms. Smith has tried to explain the risks to BlubberItInc., but the CEO, the CIO, and the Director of Personnel are all convinced that the cheapest security is what they want. Should Smith refuse to build the system with the least secure option?
Explanation / Answer
The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice, produced by the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Computer Society (IEEE CS) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), acts as a professional standard for teaching and practicing software engineering. It specifies ethical and professional obligations of software engineers and states the standards that standards society at large expects them to meet and what they should expect of one another. The code also tells the public what they should expect from software engineers. The code was produced by a multinational task force which considered input from a variety of sources including industrial, government and military installations and educational professions. An informative article of about the development of the code, which includes a full copy of the code itself was published in the October 1999 issue of ACM Computer. According to the shortened version of the code:
Software engineers shall commit themselves to making the analysis, specification, design, development, testing and maintenance of software a beneficial and respected profession. In accordance with their commitment to the health, safety and welfare of the public, software engineers shall adhere to the following Eight Principl