Ethics in IT — Week 4 · Module 14
Codes of Ethics
ACM, IEEE, PMI, AITP. Four codes, one profession. Where they agree, where they conflict, and how to use them when a decision is in front of you.
13 slides ~13 minutes Reynolds Appendices
Slide 2 of 13 · 01 / 05
Why Professional Codes Exist At All
Asymmetry. Power. Accountability.
The asymmetry
Professionals possess specialized knowledge that gives them power over people who lack it. That power requires governance.
The trade
Professional autonomy in exchange for professional accountability. Medicine, law, engineering all made this trade. IT is younger and the codes are less mature.
The role of codes
Provide structure for exercising judgment. Tell you which direction to walk when the situation does not match the playbook.
What codes do not do: replace judgment. They provide a framework for it. When following your employer's instructions conflicts with the code, the code tells you which obligation takes precedence.
Slide 3 of 13 · 02 / 05
The Four Codes at a Glance
Same profession. Different scope, different emphasis, different enforcement teeth.
ACM
Computing — broad. Public welfare, privacy, anti-discrimination.
IEEE
Engineering — safety paramount. 10 commitments.
PMI
Project management — four values. Active enforcement.
AITP
IT management — obligations to mgmt, peers, profession, society.
The realistic case: a software developer with a PMP managing a project is simultaneously bound by ACM and PMI. If those codes give different answers, the developer decides — not the organizations.
Slide 4 of 13 · ACM
ACM Code of Ethics (1992, revised 2018)
Association for Computing Machinery. The broadest scope.
Principle 1.1
"Contribute to society and to human well-being, acknowledging that all people are stakeholders in computing."
Principle 1.6
"Respect privacy." Explicit privacy obligation that has been cited in litigation.
Principle 1.4
"Be fair and take action not to discriminate." Explicit anti-discrimination obligation.
Enforcement
ACM can revoke membership. Rarely used directly. Most commonly invoked as a reference standard in litigation and policy.
"All people are stakeholders." The ACM Code rejects the framing where only the user, the customer, or the employer matters. The third-party affected by the system is in the analysis from the start.
Slide 5 of 13 · IEEE
IEEE Code of Ethics (1979, revised 2020)
Engineering-focused. Safety paramount.
Commitment I.1
"Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, to strive to comply with ethical design and sustainable development practices...."
Commitment I.4
Avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest, and disclose them when they affect engineering judgment.
Commitment II.7
Treat all persons fairly. Not engage in harassment based on protected characteristics.
Enforcement
10 commitments members agree to upon joining. Membership action available. Most directly applicable to hardware/systems engineers.
"Hold paramount" is unusual language. It means the obligation is not weighed against others — it is structurally above them. When safety conflicts with other professional duties, safety wins by definition.
Slide 6 of 13 · PMI & AITP
PMI and AITP: Management Codes
PMI — Four values
Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, Honesty. Each value has aspirational + mandatory standards. PMP, CAPM holders are bound. Active enforcement: ethics complaints can revoke certification.
AITP — IT management
Obligations structured around: management, colleagues, profession, society. Emphasizes ongoing professional development and knowledge sharing. Most directly relevant to IT management roles.
PMI's enforcement matters. Most professional ethics codes are loosely enforced. PMI is the exception — complaints have actually resulted in PMP suspensions and revocations. If you hold a PMI cert, the code has teeth.
A code of ethics that an organization adopts but does not enforce is decorative. The question is not whether your company has a code. The question is what happened to the last person who actually used it.
Slide 7 of 13 · 03 / 05
Where the Codes Agree
Five non-negotiable principles across all four.
PrincipleACMIEEEPMIAITP
Public welfare firstExplicit (1.1)Explicit ("hold paramount")Implicit (Responsibility)Explicit
Honesty & transparencyExplicit (1.3)Explicit (CoI)Explicit (Honesty)Explicit
Competence obligationExplicit (2.2)ExplicitExplicit (Responsibility)Explicit
Privacy protectionExplicit (1.6)ImplicitImplicitExplicit
No discriminationExplicit (1.4)ExplicitExplicit (Fairness)Explicit
The shared baseline: regardless of which code governs you, these five obligations are universal. A defense that "my code does not require this" only works if the code does not require it. For the items above, all four do.
Slide 8 of 13 · The structural priority
When Obligations Conflict, the Public Wins
Not aspirationally. Structurally.
Public
Society, third parties, users not in the contract.
Client / Employer
The party paying for the work. Contractual obligations.
Self
Career interest, financial stake, professional reputation.
All four codes establish: when professional obligations to employers or clients conflict with obligations to the public, the public takes precedence. This is the stated structural priority — not aspiration.
"I followed instructions and therefore had no choice" is not a defense the codes recognize. The hierarchy is in the document: public above client, client above self. Professionals who invert that order are not applying the codes.
Slide 9 of 13 · 04 / 05
The SE Code: Software Engineering's Joint Standard
ACM/IEEE-CS joint publication, 1999. The most detailed guidance for software developers.
1. Public
Act consistently with public interest.
2. Client
Best interest of client and employer, consistent with public interest.
3. Product
Highest professional standards possible.
4. Judgment
Maintain integrity and independence in judgment.
5. Management
Ethical management; do not ask engineers to act unethically.
6. Profession
Advance the integrity and reputation of the profession.
7. Colleagues
Be fair to and supportive of colleagues.
8. Self
Lifelong learning; ethical practice as a personal commitment.
The Management principle is what makes the SE Code distinctive: SE managers shall not ask engineers to do anything unethical, AND engineers shall refuse unethical instructions. Both sides of the line are bound.
Slide 10 of 13 · Worked example
Scenario: "Misrepresent project progress."
You are a PMP-certified IT project manager. Your client instructs you to misrepresent project progress in a status report to their executive team. Your employer wants you to comply to protect the client relationship.
PMI Code — Honesty
Mandatory: "We do not engage in or condone behavior that is designed to deceive others." You cannot comply.
ACM Code — 1.3
"Be honest and trustworthy." You cannot comply.
IEEE Code
"Be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates." You cannot comply.
Three codes, same answer. But only PMI has an active enforcement mechanism. If a complaint is filed, your PMP could be suspended or revoked. The obligation is universal; the consequence depends on which body governs you. The codes were not written assuming compliance would be comfortable.
Slide 11 of 13 · 05 / 05
Applying a Code in Five Steps
Codes are frameworks, not lookup tables.
StepQuestionCode application
1. IdentifyWhat is the ethical issue?Which code domain applies: public welfare, honesty, privacy, competence?
2. StakeholdersWho is affected?Which obligations run to each: employer, client, colleague, public?
3. OptionsWhat can be done?Which options does the code prohibit? Which does it require?
4. PriorityWhen obligations conflict, which governs?All four codes prioritize public welfare over employer/client when they conflict.
5. Decide & documentWhat is the defensible choice?Could you defend your decision before the ethics committee of the relevant body?
The codes do not give you the answer. They give you a structured way to find an answer you can defend.
Slide 12 of 13 · The final test
Could You Defend This Before the Ethics Committee?
Yes
You can name the principle that governs the situation, point to the obligation, and show how your decision honors the code's structural priorities. You have done the job.
No
If you cannot articulate the analysis in code language, you have work to do before you act. The point of the test is to do it before you decide, not after a complaint is filed.
The value of the codes is not in their enforcement. Most professionals will never face a formal complaint. The value is in the habit: asking the question before you act, rather than after you are caught.
The codes were not written by people who assumed professionals would always be comfortable using them. They were written with the expectation that using them would sometimes cost you something. That cost is what makes them meaningful.
Slide 13 of 13
Module 14 Takeaways
Six anchors to carry into the final assessment and beyond.
1Codes exist because of asymmetry. Professionals have power over people who lack their knowledge. Power requires accountability.
2Four codes, four scopes: ACM (broad computing), IEEE (engineering safety), PMI (project mgmt + active enforcement), AITP (IT mgmt).
3The shared baseline: public welfare, honesty, competence, privacy, no discrimination — all four agree.
4Public welfare is structurally first. Not aspirational. The code says public above client above self.
5The SE Code's Management principle binds both sides: managers cannot order unethical work; engineers cannot follow such orders.
6The defensibility test: if you can defend the decision in code language before the ethics committee, you've done the job.
Next up: ETH-15 — the final assessment. Four weeks of ethics: foundations, rights, builder obligations, and the codes that govern it all. Time to bring it together.