Listening to professional voices

ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (the Code) is being updated. The Code Update Task Force in conjunction with the Committee on Professional Ethics is seeking advice from ACM members on the update. We indicated many of the motivations for changing the Code when we shared Draft 1 of Code 2018 with the ACM membership in the December 2016 issue of CACM b and with others through email and the COPE website (ethics.acm.org). Since December, we have been collecting feedback and are vetting proposed changes. We have seen a broad range of concerns about responsible computing including bullying in social media, cyber security, and autonomous machines making ethically significant decisions. The Task Force appreciates the many serious and thoughtful comments it has received. In response, the Task Force has proposed changes that are reflected in Draft 2 of the Code. There are a number of substantial changes that require some explanation. In this article, we discuss these, and we explain why we did not include other requested changes in Draft 2. We look forward to receiving your comments on these suggested changes and your requests for additional changes as we work on Draft 3 of the Code. We have provided opportunities for your comments and an open discussion of Draft 2 at the ACM Code 2018 Discussion website [ The Nature of an Ethics Code ACM members are part of the computing profession and the ACM's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct should reflect the conscience of the computing profession. When the Code adequately reflects the ethics of the profession , it also clarifies what that profession should strive to be. A code provides positive direction for its members. The current update of the ACM Code begins positively; " Contribute to society and to human well-being, acknowledging that all people are stake-holders in computing. " As computing professionals, we are asked to promote good while working within ethical constraints including: be honest, don't cause harm, and avoid conflicts of interest. As the areas in which computing can make a positive impact have increased so has the range of our moral responsibility. In Draft 1, the Task Force's suggested modifications reflected the need for members to better understand how computing technologies and artifacts impact the social infrastructure and how they ought to promote the common good. Professionalism in computing requires us to improve our abilities to anticipate broader impacts, both …