Code Sets New Standards for Ethical and Professional Conduct by ICT Practitioners
IFIP, the global professional body for people working in the ICT sector, has announced the launch of its new Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
IFIP President, Professor Mike Hinchey, said the new Code of Ethics provides a much-needed global standard for the fast-moving technology sector.
“With the COVID pandemic expediting the uptake of new and emerging technologies around the globe, the IFIP Code of Ethics is a timely reminder of the need for technologists to always conduct themselves ethically and professionally,” he explained.
“Technology today underpins almost every interaction, communication or business transaction so it’s critical that it performs reliably and that users can trust the people who create, support and maintain it.
“The IFIP Code can serve as a template for our member societies to update their own codes or can be adopted alongside their local codes. We’ve already had ICT professional societies in Finland, Japan, South Africa and The Netherlands advise that they are planning to adopt part or all of the new code,” Professor Hinchey said.
International Ethics Experts Lead Project
The IFIP Code of Ethics was developed by a Task and Finish Group comprising international experts from across IFIP. They used the ACM Code of Ethics as their starting point, engaging in a two year process of extensive consultation and review to ensure the final code was truly global in its intent and application.
The Task and Finish Group included:
- Professor David Kreps (Chair), who also chairs IFIP’s Technical Committee 9 – ICT and Society);
- Professor Don Gotterbarn, a globally respected ethics researcher who chairs the ACM Code Update Committee, as well as leading IFIP’s Special Interest Group 9.2.2 on Frameworks for Codes of Ethics;
- Moira de Roche, chair of IFIP’s International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3) and IFIP Board member; and
- Margaret Havey of CIPS, representing the IFIP Member Societies Assembly.