Codes of Practice/Codes of Conduct
Ethics
Ethics is the study of morals (see ICT1 - Topic 10).
It is in the interests of everyone to show an interest in ethics because unethical decisions affect everyone.
Discuss these questions with your teacher or each other:
Is computer ethics any different from any other field of ethics? (see Heathcote p.274)
What factors are there in making an ethical decision (e.g. the law, religion, ideas of "right and wrong", "the lesser of two evils", etc.)?
Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct
Professional ethics means abiding by a code of conduct that is upheld by your profession e.g. a doctor's hippocratic oath.
In the IT industry, organisations like the BCS (British Computer Society) at www.bcs.org.uk act as professional bodies for IT professionals that have codes of conduct that can be seen on their web site. The ACM code of conduct is on page 275 of the Heathcote textbook.
These codes of conduct could be broken by unprofessional behaviour, such as:
Being selfish with your expert knowledge.
Harming others (e.g. producing a virus).
Dishonesty.
Not honouring property rights.
Not giving credit for intellectual property ("passing off").
Violating privacy (many IT professionals have access to confidential files that they could abuse).
Selling equipment that cannot perform the task required.
Using information, gained while working for a client, for personal gain.
Codes of Practice
Organisations might have their own code of practice, which would be a set of rules relating to the use of ICT systems, when at work. These rules must be followed by the organisation's employees. Penalties for misdemeanours might be included in the code of practice. Students might be alarmed to learn that a code of practice at work is often very similar to rules at school. Often it is stricter and the penalties more severe e.g. it is common to hear of staff being sacked for using the Internet on company time.
The code of practice might be one part of a general strategy aimed to producing professionalism within the organisation. This strategy could include:
Screening of potential employees
Training (probably the most important part of the strategy)
Raising awareness of legal issues like copyright, Data Protection Act, etc.
Security procedures
There are some ethical dilemmas on Heathcote p.277 that should be discussed.
N.B. Don't get confused between a "code of conduct" and a "code of practice".