PRESS RELEASE (9th September 2005)

By Mary Prior

IT Ethics Gaining Attention with Launch of Fourth Bi-Annual Study

The fourth report in a longitudinal study of the ethical attitudes of Information Systems professionals is due out on Monday, 12th September. Titled 'Is IT Ethical?', the report will be launched at the ETHICOMP 2005 conference being held at Linkoping University, Sweden, 12 - 15 September.

Based on a sample of members in the Institute for the Management of Information Systems, an international professional institute that sets standards for professional conduct, the survey reflects attitudes among a population of practitioners already committed to ethical practice.

Key findings reveal that commercial pressures are taking their toll, leaving practitioners feeling less able to refuse work they don't agree with, and more resigned to cutting software testing in the face of ever-shortening deadlines. Confidence in the security of data from external threats is up, but concern is growing about threats from internal sources.

Study Director Mary Prior of the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility at De Montfort University notes, "The results of this study point to a number of areas where more guidance and support for individuals is desirable to encourage consistently responsible behaviours across the body of IS practitioners."

The 2004 survey also found support growing, from 86% in 1998 (the year of the first report) to a current level of 93%, for organisations to develop and administer ethics awareness programmes for their employees. Commenting on these findings, Ian Rickwood, Chief Executive of project sponsor IMIS said, "With the move to international outsourcing of software development and testing, this study highlights the need for international bodies to take the lead in delivering standards that will be consistent across the industry."

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The Institute for the Management of Information Systems is the leading international professional association for IS professionals, with members in over 50 countries around the world.

The Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility, located at De Montfort University in Leicester, addresses the social and ethical impacts of information and communication technologies through research, consultancy and education.

The title of the ETHICOMP 2005 conference is 'The ETHICOMP Decade, 1995 - 2005.

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