ACM CODE OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL

CONDUCT WITH APPROPRIATE SOLUTION

Teacher Name: Hassaan Mahboob Butt

 ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Computing professionals' actions change the world. To act responsibly, they

should reflect upon the wider impacts of their work, consistently supporting the public good.
The ACM (Association for Computing Machinery )Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
("the Code") expresses the conscience of the profession.
The Code is designed to inspire and guide the ethical conduct of all computing professionals,
including current and aspiring practitioners, instructors, students, influencers, and anyone who
uses computing technology in an impactful way. Additionally, the Code serves as a basis for
remediation when violations occur. The Code includes principles formulated as statements of
responsibility, based on the understanding that the public good is always the primary
consideration. Each principle is supplemented by guidelines, which provide explanations to
assist computing professionals in understanding and applying the principle.
1. GENERAL ETHICAL PRINCIPLES.
A computing professional should...

1.1 Contribute to society and to human well-being, acknowledging that all

people are stakeholders in computing.

This principle, which concerns the quality of life of all people, affirms an obligation of
computing professionals, both individually and collectively, to use their skills for the benefit of
society, its members, and the environment surrounding them. This obligation includes promoting
fundamental human rights and protecting each individual's right to autonomy. An essential aim of
computing professionals is to minimize negative consequences of computing, including threats to
health, safety, personal security, and privacy. When the interests of multiple groups conflict, the
needs of those less advantaged should be given increased attention and priority.
1.2 Avoid harm.

In this, "harm" means negative consequences, especially when those consequences

are significant and unjust. Examples of harm include unjustified physical or mental injury,
unjustified destruction or disclosure of information, and unjustified damage to property,
reputation, and the environment. This list is not exhaustive.
Well-intended actions, including those that accomplish assigned duties, may lead to harm.
When that harm is unintended, those responsible are obliged to undo or mitigate the harm as
much as possible. Avoiding harm begins with careful consideration of potential impacts on all
those affected by decisions. When harm is an intentional part of the system, those responsible
are obligated to ensure that the harm is ethically justified. In either case, ensure that all harm
is minimized.
1.3 Be honest and trustworthy.

Honesty is an essential component of trustworthiness. A computing professional should

be transparent and provide full disclosure of all pertinent system capabilities, limitations, and
potential problems to the appropriate parties. Making deliberately false or misleading claims,
fabricating or falsifying data, offering or accepting bribes, and other dishonest conduct are
violations of the Code.
Computing professionals should be honest about their qualifications, and about any limitations in
their competence to complete a task. Computing professionals should be forthright about any
circumstances that might lead to either real or perceived conflicts of interest or otherwise tend to
undermine the independence of their judgment. Furthermore, commitments should be honored.
1.4 Be fair and take action not to discriminate.

The values of equality, tolerance, respect for others, and justice govern this
principle. Fairness requires that even careful decision processes provide some avenue for
redress of grievances.
Computing professionals should foster fair participation of all people, including those of
underrepresented groups. Prejudicial discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability,
ethnicity, family status, gender identity, labor union membership, military status, nationality,
race, religion or belief, or any other inappropriate factor is an explicit violation of the Code.
Harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying, and other abuses of power and authority,
is a form of discrimination that, amongst other harms, limits fair access to the virtual and
physical spaces where such harassment takes place.
1.5 Respect the work required to produce new ideas, inventions, creative works,
and computing artifacts.
Developing new ideas, inventions, creative works, and computing artifacts creates
value for society, and those who expend this effort should expect to gain value from their
work. Computing professionals should therefore credit the creators of ideas, inventions, work,
and artifacts, and respect copyrights, patents, trade secrets, license agreements, and other
methods of protecting authors' works.

1.6 Respect privacy.

The responsibility of respecting privacy applies to computing professionals in a
particularly profound way. Technology enables the collection, monitoring, and exchange of
personal information quickly, inexpensively, and often without the knowledge of the people
affected. Therefore, a computing professional should become conversant in the various
definitions and forms of privacy and should understand the rights and responsibilities
associated with the collection and use of personal information.
1.7 Honor confidentiality.
Computing professionals are often entrusted with confidential information such as
trade secrets, client data, nonpublic business strategies, financial information, research data,
pre-publication scholarly articles, and patent applications. Computing professionals should
protect confidentiality except in cases where it is evidence of the violation of law, of
organizational regulations, or of the Code. In these cases, the nature or contents of that
information should not be disclosed except to appropriate authorities. A computing
professional should consider thoughtfully whether such disclosures are consistent with the
Code.
2. PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.
A computing professional should...
2.1 Strive to achieve high quality in both the processes and products of
professional work.
Computing professionals should insist on and support high quality work from themselves
and from colleagues. The dignity of employers, employees, colleagues, clients, users, and anyone
else affected either directly or indirectly by the work should be respected throughout the process.
Computing professionals should respect the right of those involved to transparent communication
about the project. Professionals should be cognizant of any serious negative consequences
affecting any stakeholder that may result from poor quality work and should resist inducements
to neglect this responsibility.
2.2 Maintain high standards of professional competence, conduct, and ethical practice.
High quality computing depends on individuals and teams who take personal and
group responsibility for acquiring and maintaining professional competence. Professional
competence starts with technical knowledge and with awareness of the social context in which their
work may be deployed. Professional competence also requires skill in communication, in reflective
analysis, and in recognizing and navigating ethical challenges. Upgrading skills should be an
ongoing process and might include independent study, attending conferences or seminars, and other
informal or formal education. Professional organizations and employers should encourage and
facilitate these activities.
2.3 Accept and provide appropriate professional review.
High quality professional work in computing depends on professional review at all stages.
Whenever appropriate, computing professionals should seek and utilize peer and stakeholder review.
Computing professionals should also provide constructive, critical reviews of others' work.
2.4 Know and respect existing rules pertaining to professional work.

"Rules" here include local, regional, national, and international laws and regulations, as
well as any policies and procedures of the organizations to which the professional belongs.
Computing professionals must abide by these rules unless there is a compelling ethical justification
to do otherwise. Rules that are judged unethical should be challenged. A rule may be unethical when
it has an inadequate moral basis or causes recognizable harm. A computing professional should
consider challenging the rule through existing channels before violating the rule. A computing
professional who decides to violate a rule because it is unethical, or for any other reason, must
consider potential consequences and accept responsibility for that action.
2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems and their
impacts, including analysis of possible risks.

Computing professionals are in a position of trust, and therefore have a special

responsibility to provide objective, credible evaluations and testimony to employers, employees,
clients, users, and the public. Computing professionals should strive to be perceptive, thorough,
and objective when evaluating, recommending, and presenting system descriptions and
alternatives. Extraordinary care should be taken to identify and mitigate potential risks in
machine learning systems. A system for which future risks cannot be reliably predicted requires
frequent reassessment of risk as the system evolves in use, or it should not be deployed. Any
issues that might result in major risk must be reported to appropriate parties
2.6 Foster public awareness and understanding of computing, related technologies, and
their consequences.

As appropriate to the context and one's abilities, computing professionals should share
technical knowledge with the public, foster awareness of computing, and encourage understanding of
computing. These communications with the public should be clear, respectful, and welcoming.
Important issues include the impacts of computer systems, their limitations, their vulnerabilities, and
the opportunities that they present. Additionally, a computing professional should respectfully address
inaccurate or misleading information related to computing.
3. PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES.
Leadership may either be a formal designation or arise informally from influence over
others. In this section, "leader" means any member of an organization or group who has influence,
educational responsibilities, or managerial responsibilities. While these principles apply to all
computing professionals, leaders bear a heightened responsibility to uphold and promote them,
both within and through their organizations.
A computing professional, especially one acting as a leader, should...
3.1 Ensure that the public good is the central concern during all professional
computing work.
People—including users, customers, colleagues, and others affected directly or indirectly
—should always be the central concern in computing. The public good should always be an
explicit consideration when evaluating tasks associated with research, requirements analysis,
design, implementation, testing, validation, deployment, maintenance, retirement, and disposal.
Computing professionals should keep this focus no matter which methodologies or techniques
they use in their practice.
3.2 Articulate, encourage acceptance of, and evaluate fulfillment of social
responsibilities by members of the organization or group.
Technical organizations and groups affect broader society, and their leaders should
accept the associated responsibilities. Organizations—through procedures and attitudes oriented
toward quality, transparency, and the welfare of society—reduce harm to the public and raise
awareness of the influence of technology in our lives. Therefore, leaders should encourage full
participation of computing professionals in meeting relevant social responsibilities and discourage
tendencies to do otherwise.
3.3 Manage personnel and resources to enhance the quality of working life .
Leaders should ensure that they enhance, not degrade, the quality of working life. Leaders
should consider the personal and professional development, accessibility requirements, physical
safety, psychological well-being, and human dignity of all workers. Appropriate human-computer
ergonomic standards should be used in the workplace.
4. COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE.
A computing professional should...
4.1 Uphold, promote, and respect the principles of the Code.
The future of computing depends on both technical and ethical excellence. Computing
professionals should adhere to the principles of the Code and contribute to improving them.
Computing professionals who recognize breaches of the Code should take actions to resolve the
ethical issues they recognize, including, when reasonable, expressing their concern to the person or
persons thought to be violating the Code.
4.2 Treat violations of the Code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM.
Each ACM member should encourage and support adherence by all computing
professionals regardless of ACM membership. ACM members who recognize a breach of the Code
should consider reporting the violation to the ACM, which may result in remedial action as specified
in the ACM's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct Enforcement Policy.
Appropriate Solution (Scenario):

Scenario: You are a software engineer working for a company that develops an AI-driven
algorithm used to screen job applicants. You discover that the algorithm is biased against certain
racial and gender groups, leading to unfair rejections. Your team is under pressure to release the
product quickly.

Solution:

1. Recognize the ethical concern: As a computing professional, you need to acknowledge the
ethical implications of the biased algorithm and the potential harm it can cause to individuals
and society.
2. Raise the issue internally: Bring the issue to the attention of your team and superiors,
emphasizing the ethical concerns, the potential harm, and the violation of the ACM Code of
Ethics. Suggest that the biased algorithm needs to be addressed before releasing the product.
3.Propose a solution: Offer a solution that involves thoroughly reviewing and revising the algorithm
to eliminate bias and ensure fair treatment of all applicants. This may require collecting more diverse
training data, reevaluating the algorithm's design, and implementing safeguards against bias.
4.Advocate for transparency: Emphasize the importance of transparency in the development
process. Encourage documenting the steps taken to address bias, conducting rigorous testing, and
involving independent reviewers to ensure fairness.
5.Seek external guidance if necessary: If the company does not take appropriate action or
disregards the ethical concerns, consider seeking external guidance from professional organizations
or authorities to address the issue responsibly and protect individuals from discrimination.
Remember, the appropriate solution should prioritize the well-being of individuals, adhere to
the ACM Code of Ethics, and promote fairness and transparency in computing practices.