The document discusses the importance of ethics in software engineering, drawing on moral philosophy and Islamic teachings which highlight principles such as honesty, integrity, and respect for privacy. It outlines programming ethical guidelines that software developers should follow, including avoiding harm, being trustworthy, and ensuring confidentiality. It also emphasizes the responsibility of programmers to ensure the safety and reliability of their work, as well as the need for continuous improvement in their skills.

1. Professional Ethics
Departement of Software Engineering

2. Ethics:
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that
involves systematizing, defending, and recommending
concepts of right and wrong conduct.
These are the rules or standards governing the conduct by
which I live my life and make all my decisions.
Ethics in Islam:
The Quran is replete with clear messages pertaining to ethics
(akhlaq), the standards of behavior that God expects mankind
to adopt because He has sent him to this world as His
vicegerent. These cover all aspects of truthfulness, honesty,
kindness, integrity (that includes being consistent in word and
deed), meeting commitments and sincerity. The best example
of ethics is in the life of the Prophet himself. When Hazrat
Aisha was once asked about the personality of her husband,
she had replied: “he was a reflection of the Quran itself”.
Departement of Software Engineering

3. Examples of Ethics in Islam:
Ethics may be changed in a country according to conditions.
Corruption and bribery may very well be the order of the day,
and so could the consumption of drugs, and they may be
declared legal. But they could never be morally right in Islam.
Ethics are build from society. Every society has different Ethics,
Some Ethics are changed with respect to time but some Ethics
are same as above.
Professional Ethics:
Professional Ethics is defined as the personal and corporate
rules that govern behavior within the context of a particular
professions.
Departement of Software Engineering

4. Importance:
Ethics concern an individual's moral judgments about right
and wrong. Decisions taken within an organization may be
made by individuals or groups, but whoever makes them will
be influenced by the culture of the company.
... Ethical behavior and corporate social responsibility can
bring significant benefits to a business.
Every profession has different Ethics. Same as Software
Engineering concern different types of Ethics which is known
as “Programing Ethical Guidelines”.
Programing Ethics:
The ethical guidelines that developers are expected to follow
and apply when writing programming code (also called source
code), and when they are part of a programmer-customer or
employee-employer relationship.
Departement of Software Engineering

5. Programming Ethical Guidelines:
From the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (ACM):
 Avoid harm to others.
Computer systems have an indirect impact on third parties.
They can cause loss of information and resources that might
result severely harmful for users, the general public, or
employers. Therefore, software developers should minimize the
risk of harming others due to coding errors, or security issues,
by following standards to design and test systems (Code of
Ethics and Professional Conduct).
 Be honest and trustworthy.
This principle encourages programmers to be honest and
aware of their limitations in knowledge and education when
writing computer systems . if a programmer knows there is
something wrong with a computer system, he should report it
immediately to avoid undesirable consequences.Departement of Software Engineering

6.  Respect the privacy of others:
Computer systems are wrongly used by some people to
violate the privacy of others. Software developers should
write programs that can protect users’ private information and
that can avoid other undesired people to have unauthorized
access to it.
 Honor confidentiality:
Unless required by law or any other ethical guideline, a
programmer must keep secret any additional information
related to his or her employer that arises from working in a
project.
Departement of Software Engineering

7. From Software Engineering Code of Ethics and
Professional Practice(IEEE, ACM):
 Accept full responsibility for their own work:
If a program presents errors, the software developer should
accept full responsibility for his or her work, and should work
on revising, correcting, modifying, and testing it.
 Approve software only if they have a well-founded
belief it is safe and meets specifications:
Programmers cannot assume that a system is ready to use
only because it performs the tasks needed. If programs are
not safe, users are unprotected from hackers that could steal
important information or money.
Departement of Software Engineering

8.  Ensure adequate testing, debugging and review of
software:
Programmers should perform the appropriate tests to the
pieces of software they work with, and should check for errors
and system security holes to make sure that the programs are
well implemented.
 Improve their ability to create safe, reliable, and
useful quality software:
Since technology advances faster year by year, and so does
virtual criminality, the need of well-structured and designed
programs is increasing. Programmers should “further their
knowledge of developments in the analysis,
specification, design, development, maintenance, and testing
software and related documents”.
Departement of Software Engineering