Do Professional Codes of Conduct Help Address Ethical Dilemmas Faced by IT Professionals?
A look into the strengths, weaknesses and problems faced within IT
What is an IT professional?
A professional is defined as “someone who is certified formally by a professional body or belongs to a specific profession by virtue of having completed an appropriate course of study and/or practice. And whose competence can usually be measured against a set of established standards”
The British Computer Society recognised the need to improve the quality and service of IT. In order to address lacking issues in the field and to deliver leadership, they embarked on a two-year programme called “Professionalism in IT programme”. This is an IT profession which:
1. Is defined in terms of its ability to play a full part in all stages of that exploitation
2. Is seen as an integral part of the business
3. Has appropriate non-technical skills including management, business and leadership skills as core competencies alongside, rather than as add-ons to, relevant technical skills
4. Demands personal responsibility on the part of the IT Professional
5. Seeks a broader group of entrants.
Strengths and weaknesses of professional codes of conduct
A selection of codes of conduct or codes of practice is available to members of the computing profession. Two examples of such are The Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice and The British Computer Society Code of Conduct. A professional code of conduct is a set of rules to define specific standards that an IT professional should meet. While a code of professional conduct enriches the profession beyond doubt, they can sometimes create their own drawbacks.
Strengths
· It maintains a level of professionalism.
· It sets standards that employers and the general public should receive
· If an employee fails to adhere to a code of practice, an employer could defend his actions at a tribunal by using the code of conduct as a defence.
· A code of conduct gives guidance in making ethical decisions.
Weaknesses
· Codes of conduct can be open to interpretation sometimes as they are written for a broad audience.
· A lot of computing codes merely indicate potential problems without offering any solution. Donald Gotterbarn, PhD backs this up by offering the Australian Computer Society code. “The ACS accepts that the standards are ideal, and may not all be achievable at all times in all circumstances”.
· IT professionals make their own choices about ethical behaviour. One person may consider it unethical to write software for nuclear weapon systems, while another may consider it as contributing towards defending their country.
Professional responsibility to others
The British Computer Society code of conduct is divided into 4 sections, with the first being public interest. The code states that as a member you must:
1. Have due regard for security and privacy, public health, the wellbeing of others and the environment.
2. Have due regard for the rights of third parties.
3. Conduct your professional activities without discrimination, regardless of background. (sex or sexual orientation, race or religion, nationality or colour, marital status, age or disability, or of any other condition or requirement).
4. Promote equal access and seek to promote the inclusion of all sectors in society to the benefits of IT at every opportunity.
Sections 2, 3 and 4 of the BCS Code of Conduct are titled: Professional Competence and Integrity, Duty to Relevant Authority and Duty to the Profession. Although they cover different subjects, it is clear that they too shape the quality and service of the industry for the future, the general public, customers and employers.
Covering section 2 of the code includes recognising your limitations and personal development. Section 3 covers duty to your authority (employer) which includes working to your highest professional ability and taking responsibility for your work, maintaining confidentiality, misrepresentation and withholding information. Section 4 covers improving the professional standards of the IT industry through member’s behaviour and the reporting of individuals who may breach the codes of conduct.
Example of a dilemma faced by an IT Professional
In 2013 Edward Snowden former CIA and NSA agent leaked American government surveillance information. He had been collecting information for many years before Barack Obama became president. The reasons, he states for leaking the information are ethical ones. Edward Snowden worked his way up the ladder despite having no formal qualifications and the majority of the information that Mr Snowden leaked was that which required privileged access. After considering both Mr Snowden’s actions and the US governments responses it is difficult to prove who was, in fact, acting ethically. The American government stated that classified information was stolen and disclosed leading to shocking risks for national security and the safety of the American people. Meanwhile, Mr Snowden had a lot of support for his actions including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Russian government. This leads back to the comments of the Scottish Qualification Authority which stated, IT professionals make their own choices about ethical behaviour. One person may consider it unethical to write software for nuclear weapon systems, while another may consider it as contributing towards defending their country. Mr Snowden now has permission to live and work in Russia
Conclusion
Such a lot of confidential information is accessible to IT Professionals and professional computer bodies have tried to form an ethical code for its members (The British Computer Society, Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.) But what if you are not a member of a professional body? It is not mandatory for an IT Professional to belong to one. Unlike other professions medical or legal for example, IT Professionals work for many different types of employers, with differing financial budgets, on many different types of projects and they are distant from the effects of their work. In the case of Edward Snowden, he made a decision about his ethical beliefs and the US government saw it from a different ethical perspective. No code of conduct could prove who is right or wrong. A code of conduct, for example, sets professional standards for guiding members decision making and their behaviour, however, it is believed that professional codes of conduct fail to supply adequate guidance to help address ethical dilemmas.
