Chapter 5: Code of Ethics of Software Engineering

Introduction

In this chapter, we discuss the notion of ethics in general and review the Code of Ethics of Software Engineering ^[1] in particular. These aims are achieved by discussing the main ideas and the essence of the Code of Ethics of Software Engineering and by analyzing scenarios taken from the software engineering world. This chapter is largely based on case studies that the readers are asked to discuss. The idea is to guide the reader in the formulation of personal ethical behavior. This is a personal process that each practitioner should go through individually. In this sense, this chapter is different from the other chapters of the book since it raises questions and philosophical dilemmas more than it provides answers.

^[1] The Code can be found at www.acm.org/constitution/code.html . It is also presented in this chapter.