NEWS

Code of Professional Conduct

Professional Members of the Irish Computer Society shall behave in accordance with the principles set out below:

Protection of Public Interest and Legal Compliance

Members shall:

• exercise their professional skills in such a way as to safeguard public health, safety and the environment
• recognise the rights of third parties and not prejudice the intellectual property rights of others
• recognise the rights of individuals and groups to information privacy
• take reasonable steps to know and understand the relevant legislation, regulations and standards and comply with such requirements in carrying out their work
• recognise basic human rights and endeavour to avoid actions that have an adverse effect on such rights

Responsibility to Employers and Clients

Members shall:

• perform professional work that meets the requirements of their employer or client and draw the employer's or client's attention to the consequences of ignoring or overruling the member's professional judgement
• perform professional work to time and to budget and notify the employer or client early if such requirements are unlikely to be fulfilled
• not offer or provide any inducement to a third party in return for business secured with a client, unless there is full disclosure of the facts to that client
• not disclose or authorise the disclosure of confidential information gained in the course of professional work, except with the prior written permission of the employer or client, nor use such information for personal gain

Professional Dignity and Promotion of Professional Aims

Members shall:

• protect the reputation of the informatics profession and strive to improve professional standards through personal participation in their development, use and regulation and avoid actions that will adversely affect the good standing of the profession
• advance public knowledge and appreciation of informatics and, wherever possible, counter false or misleading statements detrimental to the profession
• encourage and support fellow practitioners in their professional development and, where possible, provide opportunities supporting the development of new entrants to the profession
• act with integrity towards fellow practitioners and towards members of other professions who may be engaged in related work and avoid any activity that is incompatible with professional status

Competence, Ethics and Impartiality

Members shall:

• take reasonable steps to upgrade their personal professional skills and their awareness of relevant informatics developments
• avoid claims to levels of competence that they do not possess
• accept professional responsibility for work they perform, or performed under direction and not terminate a professional assignment except for good reason and with reasonable notice
• avoid situations that give rise to conflict of interest and make full disclosure to clients in advance of any such conflict of interest that may arise

ICS Member Email conduct

Members shall:

• agree that they shall not use the service to upload or email any content that is unlawful, vulgar, offensive, threatening, abusive, harmful, racist, discriminatory or libellous.
• agree not to upload, email or otherwise transmit content that is not permissible under law or infringes on any patent or copyright laws and/or other proprietary rights.
• agree not to upload, email or otherwise transmit any unsolicited material or unauthorised advertising “spam” mail.
• agree not to use the service for any purpose that violates local, national or international law.

These principles conform to the recommendations of the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS).

Relevant Documents

Memorandum and Articles of Association of The Irish Computer Society

ICS Disciplinary Procedures