Ethical Computing®

Ethical Computing® is an initiative to support the ethical management and use of information by organizations.  Governmental agencies, business enterprises, and non-profits/NGOs depend upon the collection, creation, use, processing, analysis and dissemination of information.  Statutes and regulations govern the use of some of this information, in certain contexts, by certain entities.  But this legal framework is fragmentary, confusing, and incomplete. Organizations wishing to manage their information ethically need to go beyond the legal minimum. They need to develop policies that respect the rights and legitimate interests of their stakeholder groups.

In addition to promoting the ethical use of information, ethical computing encompasses the idea of using information and technology to support ethics within organizations. In order to comply with statutes and regulations that address fraud, corruption, discrimination, and environmental risk, organizations must implement a wide range of business and governance processes and programs. These processes and programs are information intensive and require consistency and monitoring.  The strategic use of information technology to support these processes can make them more efficient and effective. Ethical computing, as an initiative, will also investigate ways to use technology to advance ethical values.

This initiative, then, has two goals: First, it aims to provide ideas about how to manage information in a way that does not violate our ethical norms and rules.  Second, it aims to explore ways to use information technology to advance our ethical values.

Review of “Ethics, Accountability, and Recordkeeping in a Dangerous World.”

ARMA article on ECM and Privacy