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About · Professional ethics
A promise every
holder swears.
Every practitioner conferred with the Insignia signs the IICTP Canons of Ethics as a condition of holding it. A breach is handled through the four-stage process below.
“I will not execute, certify, or conceal code that I know to be mathematically unsound, vulnerable to nation-state breach, or perilous to human life. I place my professional honor and the safety of the public above all corporate obedience.”
The canons
Seven rules holders will live by.
Proposed for every practitioner in good standing.
- I
Paramount safety of public life and infrastructure
A chartered practitioner holds the safety, health and welfare of the public above all else. If an employer or client commands the deployment of a system with unmitigated catastrophic failure modes, the practitioner is bound to withhold sign-off.
- II
Algorithmic truth and formal verifiability
Practitioners never represent unverified probabilistic models or unproven machine learning outputs as formally verified safety logic in mission-critical environments.
- III
Mandatory whistleblower duty
Knowledge of active concealment of high-consequence defects should be reported promptly to IICTP. IICTP will treat reports in confidence and will not take action against a holder for reporting in good faith.
- IV
Rejection of commercial fraud and bribes
No practitioner may accept a kickback, equity grant or commercial inducement meant to compromise the outcome of a safety audit or architectural review.
- V
Maintenance of active technical competence
Credential holders complete the three-year recertification cycle and submit the required Technical Development Units to stay active on the Public Verification Register.
- VI
Cryptographic integrity and key custody
Deliberately introducing backdoors, weakening cryptographic primitives or mismanaging private key material is a grave breach, and results in immediate revocation.
- VII
Universal dignity and freedom from bias
Software architectures that govern public services must be free from discriminatory algorithmic skew, protecting human rights in every jurisdiction.
Enforcement
Due process, then a public record.
A four-stage process that protects the accused and the public alike.
- Stage I
Complaint and first review
A report is screened for credibility and for whether it falls within the code, and the holder is told what is alleged.
- Stage II
Independent inquiry
A panel with no conflict of interest examines the evidence.
- Stage III
Right to respond
The practitioner has 14 days to respond in writing, may be represented, and sees the evidence relied on before any decision.
- Stage IV
Decision and record
Sanctions range from reprimand to suspension to revocation, with a route to appeal, and are recorded on the public registry where the rules allow.
Reporting a concern
Raising a concern should not cost you your career.
IICTP does not offer legal representation or fund a defence. What it commits to is below.
- Confidential handlingReports are handled in confidence and the reporter is not named without consent, unless the law requires it.
- No retaliation by IICTPIICTP will not take action against a holder for reporting in good faith.
- Ways to reportEmail standards@iictp.org. Do not include secrets or personal data you are not allowed to share.
Annual attestation
The oath is renewed every year.
Each year, holders file a conflict-of-interest statement and reaffirm the canons. A holder who has not filed within 60 days of the request is suspended until they do.
Recognition follows conduct. See who has been honored for it, and how IICTP will report on itself.
Recognition follows conduct.
Honors and Fellowships recognise practitioners whose work upholds the canons.