The Role of Ethics in Developing Professionalism Within the Global ICT Community

Abstract

This article investigates the development of Information Communication Technology (ICT) as a global profession with a specific focus on the role of ethics. It addresses three main issues: to what extent ethics contribute to the development of the professional identity of ICT practitioners; what practices and policies can promote the development of ICT ethics; how these practices and policies can usefully be coordinated internationally. Within the European policy framework, professional ethics is seen as one of the four pillars of ICT professionalism, along with: competences; bodies of knowledge; education and training. A diverse range of international stakeholders were consulted on how to develop and implement ethical frameworks in culturally and economically diverse regions. Findings include the need to: be sensitive to the cultural and economic factors of different regions; integrate work on ethics with other aspects of professionalism; promote multiple types of engagement with professional ethics.