ETHICS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD TECHNICAL ARTICLE

I take your point. Possible discussion for 10 marks. So I’ve copied and pasted the bits that you could realistically produce in 15 minutes. I think you’ll find they make sense.

The ethical principles which are most likely to be compromised by digital developments are professional competence and due care. To behave ethically and instil trust, professional accountants will need to learn new information relatively quickly, and to apply their judgement to this information, often in situations they may not have seen before.

IT security is a technology issue but the accountant is a custodian of sensitive data and needs to be aware of the risks. The risk that objectivity may be compromised arises from intimidation from a hacker’s threats that data will be misused or destroyed. Additionally, the ethical duty of confidentiality, which would relate to customer or employee data, will also be compromised. Professional accountants need to know where there is information of value to external parties and should ensure that there are controls to secure it.

The accountant has a responsibility to ensure that regulations are understood, and properly addressed. The accountant could be accused of failure to act with integrity, competence and due care if customers’ data is misused.

The principles embodied in ethical codes will remain highly relevant in the face of big data, and AI. However, while the ethical principles do not necessarily need to change, compliance is likely to become more difficult.

My pleasure