Many companies and professional organizations develop their own codes of ethics.

A code of ethics is a collection of principles intended to guide decision making by members of the organization.

For example, the Association for Computing Machinery (www.acm.org), an organization of computing professionals, has a thoughtful code of ethics for its members (see www.acm.org/constitution/code.html). Keep in mind that different codes of ethics are not always consistent with one another.

Therefore, an individual might be expected to conform to multiple codes. For example, a person who is a member of two large professional computing-related organizations may be simultaneously required by one organization to comply with all applicable laws and by the other organization to refuse to obey unjust laws.

Fundamental tenets of ethics include responsibility, accountability, and liability. Responsibility means that you accept the consequences of your decisions and actions.

Accountability refers to determining who is responsible for actions that were taken.

Liability is a legal concept that gives individuals the right to recover the damages done to them by other individuals, organizations, or systems.

Advancements in information technologies have generated a new set of ethical problems. Computing processing power doubles roughly every two years, meaning that organizations are more dependent than ever on their information systems.

Organizations can store increasing amounts of data at decreasing cost. As a result, they can store more data on individuals for longer periods of time.

Going further, computer networks, particularly the Internet, enable organizations to collect, integrate, and distribute enormous amounts of information on individuals, groups, and institutions.

These developments have created numerous ethical problems concerning the appropriate collection and use of customer information, personal privacy, and the protection of intellectual property.

The power of information technology also makes it possible to very quickly implement electronic commerce Web sites that closely resemble successful, existing businesses that practice electronic commerce.