Ethical conduct goes beyond merely adhering to laws. All professions have a code of ethics that broadly sets standards for professionals. Such ethical standards may not be covered by specific legislation. For example, what should you do if you are analyst or programmer responsible for a program that invades privacy ? Or how responsible are you if you create a software package that produces erroneous results ? After all, is it reasonable to expect software packages to be totally free of errors?
Of course, there are no simple answers to questions such as these. Many people with high ethical standards have argued against holding computer professionals totally responsible for their work, because the way a system is used may not be under the programmer's or analyst's control. Some people argue that, just as Alfred Nobel cannot be hold accountable for the immoral use of his invention of dynamite, computer professionals should not be hold accountable for programs that are used illegally or unethically.
As the debate over these ethical issues goes on, many leaders in the computing field believe that code of ethics is of primary importance and that it would be far better for professionals to police themselves before the government finds it necessary to pass laws.
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