Security solutions are deployed to enhance individual well-being by increasing the safety and security of public and private places. By providing protective devices and services for critical infrastructure sites; schools, hospitals and other institutions; government facilities; residences; mass gatherings; and additional locations, security manufacturers, integrators and service providers enable people to live more securely and better enjoy the benefits of their communities.
Security industry professionals, then, serve not only their customers but also society as a whole. Being so entrusted is a privilege, and industry professionals, bearing a responsibility to both their customers and all people who encounter their systems, must always act with the utmost professionalism, care, respect and good faith.
SIA Member Ethics Principles
Every member organisation shall provide its acknowledgement of this requirement upon joining With those fundamental concepts in mind, the Security Industry Association (SIA) has announced “SIA Member Ethics Principles,” which are binding on all members of SIA. As a condition of membership, any organisation that qualifies for membership in SIA must affirm that they have read and understand the SIA Member Ethics Principles, and by virtue of membership, comply with the Principles.
Every member organisation shall provide its acknowledgement of this requirement upon joining as a member or renewing its SIA membership. SIA will also publicise the existence of its Principles on its website and encourage its members to promote its compliance with these requirements.
Ethical behaviour in conducting business
In furtherance of the foregoing purposes, the Security Industry Association (SIA) has adopted the following principles of ethical behaviour for its members (effective July 1, 2020).
SIA member organisations and their employees shall:
- Act with honesty, integrity and transparency, eschewing fraudulent or misleading business practices and avoiding conflicts of interest.
- Provide accurate branding, use and cost information in marketing materials, advertisements and interactions with customers and potential customers.
- Conduct business with appropriate consideration of sustainability and the environmental impact of products and services.
Workplace ethics and law enforcement cooperation
- Oppose prejudice, harassment and abuse in the workplace as well as uses of their solutions that assist or abet prejudice, harassment or abuse.
- Work with law enforcement in an appropriate manner that enhances public safety while respecting the reasonable expectations of privacy held by customers and individuals whose images or information are captured by security devices.
- Protect all sensitive personal information that they acquire in accordance with industry best practices.
- Monitor and mitigate relevant risks as much as reasonably possible, including by securing and hardening networked solutions against cyber threats in accordance with industry best practices.
Human rights
- Ensure that their products, services and solutions are not designed or manufactured in such a manner as to surreptitiously transmit information to third parties for purposes outside the normal and expected scope of security and business operations.
- Refuse to knowingly design, manufacture, sell or deploy products, services or solutions that have been finally determined by any supranational, national, federal, state or local governmental authority or any self-regulatory entity, whether foreign or domestic, having competent jurisdiction over the applicable member organisation to support the infliction of human rights abuses, the restriction of civil liberties, and/or the implementation of other oppressive measures.
These principles are not intended to be exhaustive. They are written broadly so that they may be applied in a variety of contexts.