Cyberethics Statements

Today, many companies now include a “statement on digital ethics” or “cyberethics statement” that supplements their overall code and specifically applies to digital practices. These statements tell the public the organization’s intentions and perhaps even specific goals and objectives. Cyberethics statements also help unify the many employees and practices behind a global organization. Global companies often have employees from around the world with different cultural definitions of ethics. By creating one statement that unifies all employees, differences between what is ethical in one culture and not in another can be avoided.

From a public relations perspective, cyberethics statements also demonstrate a commitment to public well-being. This is a type of organizational transparency where the public knows the standards of behavior they can expect. The public is then encouraged to hold the organization to their own articulated standards, demonstrating trust between the organization and its public.