ICT and digital technologies are everywhere. They could even be considered as the infrastructure of today’s world. Together with the many benefits they bring, though, their importance also raises ethical questions on their impact on society and businesses.
A trusted ICT profession which combines technical expertise with high levels of ethical knowledge can provide defence against these risks. To achieve this, clear guidance is needed on translating ethical values into educational programmes and professional practice.
This is the objective of newly published CEN/TS 17834:2022 ‘European Professional Ethics Framework for the ICT Profession (EU ICT Ethics)’. It provides guidance, from theory to practice, on how ICT professionals and organizations can frame relevant values and translate them into an ethical management process, which they can then apply in their daily procedures.
TS 17834 starts by providing an Ethics Framework aligned with the principles set in the Berlin Declaration on Digital Society and shows how they can apply to specific areas of ICT professional practice. Then, it provides a method to help organizations develop a transversal plan to embed ethics in their processes. This includes guidance on the necessary tools, such as a code of ethics, together with some case studies for inspiration.
TS 17834 was developed by CEN/TC 428 ‘ICT Professionalism and Digital Competences’, whose Secretariat is held by UNI.
Laurens HERNALSTEEN
lhernalsteen@cencenelec.eu