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 [e-mail].

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