www.computing-professional.org/)
founded in 2010 at Ohio Northern University and the University of South
Florida aims to recognize graduates of
computing programs as professionals
in service to society, as the Order of the
Engineer does with graduates of U.S.
engineering programs. Today, 26 U.S.-based institutions conduct The Pledge
rite-of-passage ceremony as part of their
graduation activities. Graduates taking The
Pledge sign a certificate both publicly and
in the presence of their peers and are then
presented a pin ( http://www.computing-
professional.org/symbol.html) that
serves as an additional reminder of
their commitment to self-accountability
through ethical and moral behavior within the profession.
The Pledge has been endorsed by
the Order of the Engineer, the ACM
Special Interest Group on Computers
and Society ( http://www.sigcas.org/),
and the ACM Committee on Professional Ethics. For more, please see
http://computing-professional.org/ or
contact any of us directly.
Ken Christensen, Tampa, Fl
John K. estell, Ada, OH
Ben Kuperman, Oberlin, OH
Author’s Response:
I appreciate very much these readers’
thoughtful comments and the points they
make. Some of the best programmers I
have known have lacked formal training,
having come by their expertise through
field experience. However, those points
persuade me an effort might be made
to say something about minimum
curriculum and performance, if not an
actual examination like the bar exam for
lawyers or board certification for medical
professionals. Evidence of continued
education might also give credibility to
the credentials of a professional software
engineer. While it may not be inevitable,
it seems sufficiently plausible that some
kind of licensing will be proposed, in which
case ACM might contribute positively to
the development of credible course content
and perhaps also testing standards for
professional software engineers.
Vinton G. Cerf, ACM President
What evidence of it Acceleration?
In his Viewpoint “Could Artificial In-
telligence Create an Unemployment
Crisis?” (July 2013), Martin Ford re-
peatedly assumed “Information tech-
nology will continue to accelerate…”
But nothing accelerates indefinitely,
and many technologies, including
transportation and space flight, have
not seen accelerated progress in de-
cades.
1 It is quite possible that prog-
ress in information technology will
likewise reach a plateau of incremen-
tal improvement. Ford’s apocalyptic
vision may come about but should not
be based on assumptions for which
there is no evidence.
moti Ben-Ari, Rehovot, Israel
Reference
1. ben-ari, m. the end of science revisited: the case
for incrementalism in the future of science. Skeptic
Magazine 13,
2 (2007), 20–27.
Author’s Response:
As Ben-Ari says, acceleration does
eventually slow down and it is reasonable
to assume IT will likewise experience
such deceleration. However, it is also not
likely to occur soon. Even if advances
in hardware (per Moore’s Law) were
to plateau, progress could continue to
accelerate along other fronts (such
as software performance, parallel
computing, and new architectural
breakthroughs). Even if the doubling
period for IT acceleration would lengthen
significantly, it would still imply rapid
progress in light of performance levels
already achieved.
martin ford, Sunnyvale, CA
free ismail Cem Bakir
As former vice-chair of the ACM
Committee on Scientific Freedom
and Human Rights, I would like to
call your attention to the violation
of human rights of Ismail Cem Bakir, a student at Istanbul Technical
University in Turkey. The Committee of Concerned Scientists (http://
concernedscientists.org/) (I am vice-chair, computer science) is an independent organization of scientists,
physicians, engineers, and scholars
devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues worldwide. We are concerned for Bakir, as
well as for other students arrested
during antigovernment demonstrations in Turkey in June.
On July 16, The New York Times re-
ported ( http://nyti.ms/14WJUt7) the
Istanbul Bar Association said the po-
lice, citing terrorism laws, had issued
a temporary order withholding legal
assistance to these detainees, as well
as access to their families. Bakir, who
was studying computer engineering,
was arrested in July. His sister said the
police confiscated computers, books,
and magazines and even threatened to
charge the lawyer assisting his family.
This set of events seems to confirm the
Bar Association’s complaint concern-
ing the police.
Denial of access to counsel is expressly prohibited by the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, to which Turkey is a
signatory, as well as by the European
Convention on Human Rights, to
which Turkey is a party. Bakir’s right
to peaceful protest is also protected by
the Covenant.
The Committee of Concerned Scientists has urged the Turkish government to investigate Bakir’s arrest and
detention, as well as that of others
denied legal assistance and access to
their families. It has also urged the
government to arrange Bakir’s immediate release (if he is still being held in
jail) on the basis of his right to peaceful protest and expression of opinion,
allowing him to resume his studies.
I urge you to help advocate Bakir’s
scientific freedom and human rights.
Please send letters of support to
His Excellency Abdullah Gül
President
Office of the President
Cumhurbaşkanlığı
06689
Çankaya, Ankara,
Republic of Turkey
and
His Excellency
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik 06573
Ankara, Republic of Turkey
Jack minker, College Park, MD
Communications welcomes your opinion. to submit a
letter to the editor, please limit yourself to 500 words or
less, and send to letters@cacm.acm.org.
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