Some computing groups have developed, or are working to establish, ethics codes for IT. For example, the Canadian Information Processing Society has a code of ethics and standards of conduct (with guidelines for enforcement), which its members are expected to adhere to. As well, the Association for Computing Machinery and the Association of Information Technology Professionals have adopted generalized ethics codes.
The following certification groups are currently working together to draw up a code of ethics for IT security professionals: Global Information Assurance Certification; Information Systems Audit and Control Association; International Information Systems Security Certifications Consortium Inc.; Information Systems Security Association Inc.; and ASIS International
If a universal code is adopted, the next step would be standards of practice that would serve as teeth behind the code. If an IT worker violated the standards, in theory he might be “disbarred” from the profession.