Appendix: Codes of Ethics of Various Organizations - Table 6 - The Research Center on Computing & Society

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Table 6: Excerpts from Proposed IFIP Ethics Codes

Preamble:

The IFIP Code of Ethics has been constructed not only for individual Information Technology (IT) professionals but also for multinational organizations and the extended IT community concerned with international legal informatics and related global public policy… The guidelines are global and multicultural and are not intended to reflect any particular ideology or creed.

1. Individual Professional Ethics

1.1 Social Responsibility:

IT professionals strive to use their unique technical expertise to advance international human welfare and the quality of life for citizens of all nations. Computer-related professionals feel an ethical obligation to assess social consequences and to help ensure safe and beneficial us of IT applications.

1.2 Protection of Privacy:

IT professionals have a fundamental respect for the privacy and integrity of individuals, groups, and organizations. They are also aware that computerized invasion of privacy, without informed authorization and consent, is a major continuing threat for potential and individuals, groups and populations. Public trust in informatics is contingent upon vigilant protection of established cultural and ethical norms of information privacy.

1.3 Individual integrity:

IT professionals maintain high standards of personal integrity which is basic for the harmonious development and fulfillment of organizations and society. Individual integrity encompasses personal traits that create a feeling of pride in the individual, such as honesty, probity, objectivity, sensitivity to others, and trustworthiness in human relations. They respect and defend the free inquiry of their associates. IT professionals do not misrepresent capabilities, applications and value of information processing systems for their personal gain.

1.4 Professional Competence:

IT professionals are aware of their personal responsibility to continually maintain and upgrade their technical competence in the swiftly changing domain of computer-based information systems. They are cognizant of the capabilities and limitations of their specialized expertise and the field of information processing broadly conceived.

1.5 Personal Accountability:

IT professionals accept personal responsibility for concurred mutual expectations pertaining to their role and work… They attempt to keep all cognizant parties such as coworkers, managers, clients, and users properly informed on the progress and status of their tasks. IT professionals contribute to objective test and evaluation of information system effectiveness to facilitate beneficial social objectives.

2. International Organizational Ethics

2.1 High Performance Standards
2.2 International Standards and Regulations
2.3 International Legal Protection
2.4 Employee Productivity and Quality of Working Life
2.5 User Participation and Feedback

3. Ethics for International Legal Informatics

3.1 Intellectual Property Law
3.2 International Public Law
3.3 International Telecommunications Law
3.4 International Criminal Law

4. International Public Policy Ethics

4.1 Freedom of Communication
4.2 Privacy and Dignity of Individuals
4.3 Humanized Information Systems
4.4 International Computer Literacy
4.5 Equitable Opportunity for Information Services
4.6 Cultural Quality of Life

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