Code of Ethics

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada supports the work of IT professionals in setting a Code of Ethics for their profession.  The leadership demonstrated by CIPS is to be applauded and emulated.  By incorporating privacy protection as a core element of its ethical framework, CIPS not only demonstrates that IT professionals are an integral part of the value chain of their organizations by ensuring that systems and the information assets they contain are protected against abuse and misuse; CIPS also affirms that privacy protection is both an ethical imperative as well as a set of design principles that are essential to the proper functioning of our organizations and institutions."  Jennifer Stoddart Privacy Commissioner of Canada

The Code of Ethics is a comprehensive guide to professional conduct. The Code is designed to help IT practitioners maintain the highest level of ethical conduct, standards of practice and integrity with respect to their professional activities.

IT practitioners are strongly encouraged to use the Code of Ethics in their professional dealings with colleagues, employers, employees, clients and students.

All CIPS members (including students) agree to abide by the Code of Ethics and its ethical principles/imperatives:

• Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (New!) (.pdf)
• Understanding the Code of Ethics (.pdf)

• Enforcement Process (.pdf)
• Hearing Process (.pdf)
• Ethical Principles (New!) (.pdf)

NOTE: CIPS members are welcome to include a link from their Web site to the Ethical Principles and/or Code of Ethics document located on this page.  For non-members who are interested in re-printing a copy of the  Ethical Principles and/or Code of Ethics, please contact CIPS for permission at: 1-877-275-2477 or info@cips.ca.