Information Integrity and IT Professionals´ Integrity, Intertwined

When a consumer accesses information, the consumer wants to trust that information. As computer professionals, our reputation with the public depends in large part on how the public perceives the information we deliver-if the public trusts the information, the public trusts us. This article focus on three threats to information integrity that map directly to three characteristics of information-processing professionals: incompetence, conflicts of interest, and a lack of transparency. In each case, characteristics of both individuals and the profession as a whole interact to undermine information integrity. The article concludes with strategies for improving information integrity by focusing on these three problems.