Code of Conduct
The standards of professional behaviour every member agrees to uphold.
- Reference
- IIOET-COD-0005
- Version
- 1.0
- Issued
- 8 October 2026
- Approved by
- Board of IIOET Limited
- Classification
- Public
1. Introduction
This Code sets the standard of professional behaviour that IIoET expects of everyone who holds membership. It applies across IIoET’s four domains, artificial intelligence, quantum, blockchain and cyber security, and to the convergence between them. Designatory letters are worth only as much as the conduct behind them, so the Code is the foundation on which every grade, certification and public register entry rests.
The Code is written as twelve principles. Each states what is expected and then explains what it requires in practice. The explanations are not an exhaustive list of acceptable or unacceptable conduct. Members are expected to apply the principles with judgement to situations the Code does not describe, and to ask IIoET for guidance where they are unsure.
2. Who the Code applies to
2.1 The Code applies to every individual member of IIoET at every grade: Student Affiliate, Affiliate, Associate Member (AMIIoET), Member (MIIoET), Fellow (FIIoET), Senior Fellow (SFIIoET) and Honorary Fellow (HonFIIoET).
2.2 It applies to the named representatives of Corporate members when they act in connection with IIoET or in reliance on their organisation’s Corporate membership. A Corporate member is expected to bring the Code to the attention of its named representatives.
2.3 It applies to members’ professional conduct wherever it takes place, including paid and unpaid work, teaching, research, publication, public commentary and online activity. Conduct outside professional life falls within the Code where it is serious enough to call into question a member’s fitness to hold membership or to bring the profession or IIoET into disrepute.
2.4 Every applicant agrees to the Code on admission, and every member reaffirms that agreement at each annual renewal. Agreement is a condition of holding membership.
3. The principles
Principle 1. Competence
Members practise only within their competence and keep that competence current.
In practice, a member accepts work only where they have, or can obtain, the knowledge, skill and resources to carry it out properly. Where a task goes beyond what they can do well, they say so, seek supervision or support, or decline. They are honest about the limits of what they know, particularly in fast-moving fields where confident claims are easy to make and hard to verify. Members keep their competence up to date by meeting the requirement for their grade in the Continuing Professional Development Policy (IIOET-POL-0008).
Principle 2. Honesty and integrity
Members act honestly and with integrity in all their professional dealings.
A member does not knowingly mislead clients, employers, colleagues, the public or IIoET, whether by statement, omission or the selective presentation of evidence. They represent their qualifications, experience and affiliations accurately. They give honest professional opinions, including when those opinions are unwelcome, and they do not offer or accept inducements that could compromise their judgement. Claims about the capability, safety or security of a technology are made only where the member has a reasonable basis for them.
Principle 3. The public interest and safety
Members have due regard for the public interest, for the health, safety and wellbeing of others, and for the environment.
Emerging technologies can affect people who never chose to use them. A member considers those effects as part of their professional work, not as an afterthought. Where a member has reasonable grounds to believe that a system, product or practice they are involved with poses a significant risk of harm, they raise the concern promptly with the appropriate people, and, where that fails and the risk is serious, through the appropriate external channels lawfully available to them. A member does not retaliate against anyone who raises such a concern in good faith.
Principle 4. Responsible and ethical development and use of emerging technology
Members develop, deploy and use emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, responsibly and ethically.
In practice, this means understanding and being open about what a system can and cannot do, and about the data and assumptions it depends on. Members take reasonable steps to identify and reduce bias, error and misuse, to keep meaningful human oversight where decisions significantly affect people, and to make the basis of automated decisions as explainable as the context requires. They do not knowingly design, build or deploy technology for purposes that are unlawful or that would cause serious harm. Where members use artificial intelligence tools in their own work, they remain responsible for the result and disclose that use where it would matter to the people relying on the work.
Principle 5. Security and privacy of information
Members protect the security of the systems and information entrusted to them and respect people’s privacy.
A member applies security and privacy by design, proportionate to the risk, in the systems they work on. They access systems and data only with proper authority and only for legitimate purposes. They handle personal data lawfully, collect no more than is needed, and take care with the aggregation and inference that emerging technologies make possible. Members who discover a vulnerability act responsibly in disclosing it, giving the owner a fair opportunity to fix it before the details are made public.
Principle 6. Confidentiality
Members respect the confidentiality of information acquired in the course of their professional work.
A member does not disclose confidential information without proper authority unless disclosure is required by law or justified by a serious risk to the public interest. They do not use confidential information for personal advantage or for the advantage of a third party. This duty continues after an engagement or employment has ended.
Principle 7. Conflicts of interest
Members identify, declare and manage conflicts of interest.
Where a member’s personal, financial or professional interests could reasonably be seen to affect their judgement, they declare the conflict to those affected and take steps to manage it, which may mean stepping back from the matter. This applies with particular force when members act for IIoET as assessors, reviewers, panel members or editors, where conflicts are declared before work begins.
Principle 8. Respect, fairness and non-discrimination
Members treat others with respect and fairness and do not discriminate unlawfully.
A member does not harass, bully or victimise anyone, and does not discriminate on the basis of a protected characteristic or any other irrelevant factor. They encourage an inclusive profession in which people from every background can enter, progress and be heard. Members who mentor, supervise or assess others use that position responsibly and do not exploit it.
Principle 9. Compliance with law
Members comply with the law and regulation that applies to their professional work.
Members practise across many jurisdictions and within regulatory regimes that are still forming. A member takes reasonable steps to understand the legal and regulatory requirements relevant to their work and to comply with them. A member who is convicted of a criminal offence, or who is subject to an adverse finding by a regulator or another professional body, tells IIoET promptly where the matter is relevant to their professional standing.
Principle 10. The reputation of the profession and of IIoET
Members uphold the reputation of the profession and of IIoET.
A member does not act in a way that would undermine public confidence in the profession or in IIoET. They do not claim to speak for IIoET unless authorised to do so, and they make clear when views are their own. They support colleagues, share knowledge where they properly can, and contribute to the development of others entering the profession.
Principle 11. Correct use of designatory letters
Members use IIoET’s designatory letters, name and logo correctly.
A member uses only the letters of the grade they currently hold, only while their membership is current, and in the form set out in the Designatory Letters Policy (IIOET-POL-0010). Student Affiliates and Affiliates do not use designatory letters. A member does not suggest that they hold a grade, certification or authority they do not hold, and does not use IIoET’s name or logo except as that policy allows.
Principle 12. Duties to IIoET
Members deal openly with IIoET and co-operate with its processes.
A member gives accurate information in applications, renewals and continuing professional development declarations. They tell IIoET of changes that affect their membership. They co-operate fully and promptly with any investigation under the Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure (IIOET-PRC-0007), whether as the subject of a concern or as a witness, and they comply with any decision or sanction imposed under it. A member who becomes aware of serious misconduct by another member is encouraged to raise it with IIoET.
4. Breaches of the Code
4.1 Anyone may raise a concern that a member has breached this Code. Concerns are handled under the Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure (IIOET-PRC-0007), which sets out how a concern is assessed, investigated and decided, the sanctions available, and the member’s rights to respond and to appeal.
4.2 Whether conduct breaches the Code is judged against the standards reasonably expected of a member of the relevant grade at the time of the conduct.
4.3 Members may ask IIoET for confidential guidance on how the Code applies to a situation they face, by writing to contact@iioet.org. Seeking guidance is not, by itself, an admission of any breach.
5. Review
The Board reviews this Code at least every twelve months, as recorded in the Document Control Register (IIOET-REG-0001), and sooner if a change in law, technology or professional practice makes that necessary. Members are told of any change of substance before it takes effect.