A code of ethics?

So I was thinking about the idea of a universal code of ethics—it’s not too likely or practical that such a thing would be codified or agreed upon, but there are small scale versions, like professional codes of ethics. Interestingly, Wikileaks—that is Assange and his core group—seem to a very strong ethical code. Conversely, many media portrayals of Wikileaks are of some kind of nihilist/terrorist collective brainwashed by Assange. Anonymous, is certainly less cohesive than Wikileaks by its nature, but certainly individuals associated with Anonymous have strong personal ideas of ethics and there seem to be certain “laws” to Anonymous’ behavior.

Also, the Luciano Floridi quote has really stuck with me; ““My” in “my information” is not the same as “my” in “my car” but rather the same as in “my body” or “my feelings:” it expresses a sense of constitutive belonging, not of external ownership, a sense in which my body, my feelings and my information are part of me but are not my (legal) possessions.” This quote made me think of the Hippocratic oath and the medical profession—would something similar be useful or effective for the information professions? Does a code of ethics actually impact the behavior of its inductees?
So as an example of an information profession, the American Library Association (ALA) has abided by a code of ethics since 1939, and has routinely updates the contents of the code; the most recent version is from 2008. (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/history/index.cfm)

The ALA’s code of ethics addresses such issues as providing equitable access to information (which I understand as providing information in a form that disabled, non-English speakers, and even illiterate people can access), privacy for users, access to unbiased, uncensored information, and to not “advance private interests at the expense” in way that would compromise the sentiments of the above values.

I believe that any sort of ethical code can be ignored and is very difficult to enforce, but at the same time they are a necessary guide for an information (or any) profession. There is some evidence that similar documents, like honor codes for colleges reduce unethical behavior by increasing a feeling of community (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-callahan/why-honor-codes-reduce-st_b_795898.html), and I would think they stir up one’s conscience, making that “Jiminy Cricket” voice just a bit louder.

To answer the question of how can we try to ensure information professionals act ethically, I would look at the medical profession. While certainly not a perfect example—(it is hard, and perhaps futile to strive for perfection in ethical issues)—there is a colloquial code, the Hippocratic oath which serves as the main mission statement for doctors, to “do no harm.” But there are also HIPAA laws to protect privacy, and EMTALA to guarantee treatment, along with the ability to sue for malpractice and plenty of regulations at the national, state, and hospital levels. Perhaps the institution of legal consequences would motivate ethical behavior in information professions. That sounds so dreary though, maybe there could also be positive incentives such as subsidies each year for creating a system that does the best job of ensuring privacy, or accessibility, etc.