[7402]

See ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct at https://ethics.acm.org/code-of-ethics/

Here are the main points:

  1. GENERAL MORAL IMPERATIVES.
  
  As an ACM member I will

  1.1 Contribute to society and human well-being.
  1.2 Avoid harm to others.
  1.3 Be honest and trustworthy.
  1.4 Be fair and take action not to discriminate.
  1.5 Honor property rights including copyrights and patent.
  1.6 Give proper credit for intellectual property.
  1.7 Respect the privacy of others.
  1.8 Honor confidentiality.

  2. MORE SPECIFIC PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.

  As an ACM computing professional I will

  2.1 Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness
      and dignity in both the process and products of
      professional work.
  2.2 Acquire and maintain professional competence.
  2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to
      professional work.
  2.4 Accept and provide appropriate professional review.
  2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer 
      systems and their impacts, including analysis of
      possible risks.
  2.6 Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned
      responsibilities.
  2.7 Improve public understanding of computing and its
      consequences.
  2.8 Access computing and communication resources only when
      authorized to do so.

  3. ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP IMPERATIVES.

  As an ACM member and an organizational leader, I will

  3.1 Articulate social responsibilities of members of an
      organizational unit and encourage full acceptance of
      those responsibilities.
  3.2 Manage personnel and resources to design and build
      information systems that enhance the quality of working 
      life.
  3.3 Acknowledge and support proper and authorized uses of
      an organization’s computing and communication
      resources.
  3.4 Ensure that users and those who will be affected by a
      system have their needs clearly articulated during the
      assessment and design of requirements; later the system 
      must be validated to meet requirements.
  3.5 Articulate and support policies that protect the
      dignity of users and others affected by a computing
      system.
  3.6 Create opportunities for members of the organization to 
      learn the principles and limitations of computer
      systems.

  4. COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE.

  As an ACM member I will

  4.1 Uphold and promote the principles of this Code.
  4.2 Treat violations of this code as inconsistent with
      membership in the ACM.

[Glyptodon]

You linked to the 1992 version, which was replaced in 2018.

Among other things, section 1.5 was always a disaster because copyright and patent are not natural rights, but special privileged statuses granted to (in theory) promote the accrual public benefit, and there's no reason practitioners should be required to subscribe to copyright or patent maximalist perspectives.

Section 2.8 was too broad because it didn't take into account security researchers, stuff like insulin pump hacking, etc., (which also ties back to 1.5 being too heavy handed).

Not that the 2018 version is tons better, but it tries more.

[vorpalhex]

This is kind of grossly simplified though, isn't it?

> 1.2 Avoid harm to others

So no smart weapons which minimize collateral damage?

> 1.5 Honor property rights including copyrights and patent.

So no Sci-Hub? What about bad copyrights?

> 1.8 Honor confidentiality.

What about whistleblowing?

[Kalium]

It's worth mentioning that the text you are responding to is the overview. The ACM offers greater detail that addresses your concerns: https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics

> So no smart weapons which minimize collateral damage?

This section is concerned with indirect and unintentional harm. Weapons tend to be a problem for every ethical system. Here, my reading would be that weapons should work as intended.

> So no Sci-Hub? What about bad copyrights?

What is a bad copyright is not a question for the ACM code of ethics. You'll find a more detailed examination of intellectual property in the full code of ethics.

> What about whistleblowing?

An excellent question! I'll just quote from the discussion directly:

> 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.

[MaxBarraclough]

> So no Sci-Hub?

The ACM are a major academic publisher.