[dsacco]

A professional code of ethics with no weight behind it is about as effective as a code of ethics I upload on a random blog tomorrow. That's what ACM's might as well be, since it's not even universally known by professionals, let alone adhered to.

[artifaxx]

Depends on where you are, in some US states you can get licensed to call yourself a software engineer. This holds you legally liable to the code of ethics. It often influences court cases involving companies too: http://ethics.acm.org/code-of-ethics/using-the-code/

[coupdejarnac]

If you're a licensed engineer and you break ethics rules, be prepared to pay fines.

[dsacco]

That would satisfy "weight." It's conspicuously lacking in the ACM code of ethics (and basically every other code of ethics someone puts online with no industry buy-in).