Ethics for computing professionals
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| ethics | 伦理 | lún lǐ |
| computing professional | 计算机专业人员 | jì suàn jī zhuān yè rén yuán |
| confidentiality | 保密性 | bǎo mì xìng |
| conflicts of interest | 利益冲突 | lì yì chōng tū |
| intellectual property | 知识产权 | zhī shí chǎn quán |
Why computing needs ethics 伦理
- A computing professional 计算机专业人员's work — software, systems, data — affects other people.
- Because it's technical, others often can't tell if it was done well or honestly.
- So the profession follows shared ethics: principles for good behaviour.
Risk and responsibility lab
Sort examples by the rule, risk or protection involved.
Why ethics matters
- Trust — users and employers trust professionals to act in their interest; without it, software loses credibility.
- Impact — software runs medical devices, banking and vehicles, so careless or dishonest work can hurt people.
- Professional bodies (BCS, ACM, IEEE) publish codes of ethics for members.
CCTV raises privacy concerns — an ethical issue for computing professionals.
Why are ethics especially important for computing professionals?
Software runs critical systems and users can't easily verify it, so professionals are trusted to act honestly and competently.
Typical principles
- Public interest first — protect the safety and welfare of those affected.
- Honesty and competence — be honest about your skills; don't claim expertise you lack.
- Confidentiality 保密性 — protect clients' and employers' private information.
- Avoid conflicts of interest 利益冲突 — don't take work where your interest clashes with the client's.
- Keep skills current; respect intellectual property 知识产权 and privacy; treat colleagues fairly.
Which is a core principle of professional ethics?
Codes of ethics put the public interest first, alongside honesty, competence and confidentiality.
Select all the genuine professional principles.
Honesty, confidentiality and avoiding conflicts of interest are principles; taking others' credit is unethical.
Match each professional principle to what it means.
Codes of ethics put the public first, with honesty, confidentiality and no conflicts of interest.
Acting ethically vs unethically
- Acting ethically protects users, strengthens reputation, reduces legal risk, and builds trust.
- Acting unethically (skipping testing, hiding bugs, misusing data) can harm users, lead to dismissal or legal action, and erode trust in technology generally.
- Facing a hard call: identify who is affected, check the code of ethics and the law, weigh consequences, ask a trusted senior, and put users above short-term convenience.
- Licence types: commercial software, open-source (promoted by the Free Software Foundation and the Open Source Initiative), freeware and shareware — choosing one is software licencing.
A likely consequence of acting unethically (e.g. hiding bugs) is:
Unethical conduct can hurt real users and lead to dismissal, legal liability and damaged trust.
You've got it
- ethics matters because of trust and impact (software runs critical systems)
- key principles: public interest first, honesty/competence, confidentiality, no conflicts of interest
- ethical conduct builds trust and reduces legal risk; unethical conduct harms users and reputation
- professional bodies: BCS, ACM, IEEE