Ethical Standards for IT Professionals: Key Principles
Ethical Standards for IT Professionals
1. Secrecy
Computer professionals must maintain professional secrecy and confidentiality. This includes handling confidential information, state secrets, secrets of the cabinet, off-the-record information, official secrets, reserved secrets, trade secrets, business secrets, classified material, and top-secret information with the utmost care.
2. Responsibility
Computer professionals must demonstrate professional responsibility in their work. This includes fulfilling responsibilities and acting responsibly.
3. Loyalty to Your Company and the Public
Computer professionals should be loyal and faithful to their company and the public, avoiding any acts of unfairness.
4. Dignity, Honesty, and Integrity
Computer professionals must uphold dignity, honesty, and integrity in their work. They should be worthy, honest, and honorable, avoiding dishonesty and indecency.
5. Primacy of the Common Good and Public Service
Computer professionals should prioritize the common good, public interest, and public service. This includes serving society, promoting public and social goods, contributing to the economic and social good, and ensuring the welfare and safety of the public. They should not seek personal gain at the expense of society and should strive for the progress of human welfare and the national interest.
6. Academic Preparation and Continuing Education
Computer professionals should engage in continuous study, pre-professional training, learning, and vocational training. They should maintain professional skills, seek adequate preparation, and strive to be competent. This includes service training, recycling, and continuing education. They should work continuously to keep their skills current, increase social competence and prestige, add to their knowledge, and specialize in their field.
7. Solidarity
Computer professionals should foster team spirit and solidarity. They should avoid a lack of solidarity and unsupportive behavior. They should demonstrate companionship, help others selflessly, share their knowledge, cooperate with others in understanding problems, share their particular knowledge, collaborate with other professionals, exchange information and experience, enhance professional development, cooperate in improving information, support development and career advancement, exchange documents and experience, and never take advantage of the lack of knowledge or inexperience of others. They should never denigrate the honesty or competence of a colleague and should not underestimate competitors.
8. Integrity
Computer professionals must maintain integrity by avoiding bribery and respecting all professional standards. They should not accept money or other benefits improperly. If offered a gift, they should put it to the attention of the director. They should not give or take commissions, nor give money or any gifts improperly. They should not accept gifts, fees, or compensation inappropriately.
9. The Right to Information
Computer professionals should uphold the right to give and receive true information. This includes the right to communicate and the right to know. They should never retain information improperly, but rather exchange information, report as supposed, provide everything needed to communicate, inform clients and employers, use their skills and knowledge to inform the public, and seek to disseminate knowledge.
10. Truth, Objectivity, and Accuracy
Computer professionals must ensure fidelity in the acquisition and transmission of data. They should be truthful, accurate, objective, and avoid subjectivity. They should be accurate and avoid inaccuracies. They should deal with reality and be clear, objective, independent, and impartial. They should avoid false, exaggerated, wrong, misleading, or deceptive statements, and avoid handling partisan information.
11. Avoid Invasion of Privacy
Computer professionals must respect privacy and avoid invading it. They should handle personal data and intimate information with care, ensuring the confidentiality of information and data.
12. Utilize Only Fair and Honest Means
Computer professionals should avoid any illegal or unlawful practices. They should not use their privileged capacity improperly. Bribery in all its forms is unfair and dishonest. They should not ignore other companies. Industrial espionage (theft, telephone intervention, etc.) is clearly illegal. No company should acquire trade secrets through illegal or improper means. They should not falsify their curriculum vitae and should not improperly use their office.
13. Collaborate in the Development and Promotion of IT
Computer professionals should develop, promote, extend, and expand information technology and computer knowledge. They should expand public knowledge of information technology, expand the pure understanding of computing, enhance the effectiveness of the profession, fulfill the obligation of their own professional development, fight to increase the competence and prestige of the profession, protect and promote professionalism in information technology, increase competition and the prestige of the profession, contribute to the advancement of information technology, and spread the knowledge and tools used.
14. Demonstrate Competence
Computer professionals should demonstrate technical competence and skill. They should maintain high levels of competence, increase competition and professional prestige, maintain professional and technical exercise, increase their competence and professional standing, and only undertake duties and obligations for which they are ready and professionally trained.
15. Copyright and Plagiarism
Computer professionals must respect copyright, intellectual property, and avoid plagiarism. They cannot claim credit for the work of others. They should protect software under copyright, refrain from copying any record improperly, and under no circumstances appropriate programs improperly. They should respect patents and acknowledge the owner and author.
16. Conflict of Interest
Computer professionals must avoid conflicts of interest. This includes avoiding situations where the interests of the company and the interests of the computer professional may conflict. They should avoid taking a position for their own interest that would constitute a conflict, and avoid conflicts of interest between companies.
17. Personal Disinterest
Computer professionals should prioritize service over profit and live for their work rather than living off their profession. They should demonstrate selflessness and not try to use their position for personal gain, exploit it for personal benefit or satisfaction, or use information to obtain any personal gain. They should not seek personal benefit, advantage, or use their position for their own benefit.
18. Fair Competition
Computer professionals should not denigrate or injure the reputation or skill of others. They should not humiliate anyone, compete unfairly with other professionals, or use credentials to distort competition. They should engage in fair competition.
19. Obligation to Ethical Rules
Computer professionals must adhere to ethical rules and avoid violating legal, natural, constitutional, or positive law. They should understand whether rules oblige and enforce the code of professional ethics of information (association, company, degree, or diploma in computer science). They should accept these obligations as a personal responsibility, fulfill these obligations, and address complaints and violations of the ethical code.
20. Comply with Business Ethics Code
Computer professionals should address unethical behavior, follow relevant rules, and act on them. They should understand what actions are consistent with the code, fulfill their professional duties, obligations, and responsibilities, and behave ethically.