Ethics

This chapter is under construction and the full text will be included in a future update to the EITBOK.

 

Ethical behaviors in an organization are judged relative to their cultural and regulatory framework. In some countries, money paid to gain business advantage is seen as neither unethical nor illegal.

• Ethical assertions should be expressed in EIT, tied to the overall business code of ethics, and signed off by all staff so that violations can be cause for reprimand or dismissal.
• Vendors should be held to similar ethical standards.
• A code of EIT ethics is created, and socialized.
• Lists of employees who have signed off on the code are maintained by EIT governance.

EIT ethical topics include those that may also be illegal, such as:

• Consideration of the social impact of the work at hand—if it will cause harm
• Alignment of business and EIT strategies and policies to an ethical standard
• Incorporation of the ideals of professionalism
• Adherence to applicable regulatory intent
• Protection for whistle blowers

Call out these things specifically:

• Activities that interfere with or corrupt the proper function of computers, applications and systems
• Activities that interfere with digital privacy or intellectual rights of others
• Respect for confidentiality, privacy, permissions, and access rights
• Inappropriate bias (skewing) of analysis and reporting
• Inaction in the face of likely ethics violations