Note that there may also be consequences,
such as internal discipline measures, within
your employer organization. Consider, for
example, that an individual breach could put
your entire organization (firm, employer)
offside of privacy legislation.
Precautionary measures
Before consulting with your network, be sure
to take the following precautions:
• Delete any personal and specific client
details before sharing information.
• Avoid sharing proprietary information
specific to your employer organization—
such as templates, checklists, and
forms—with colleagues in other
organizations.
• Do not share information without the
knowledge and written consent of your
client and/or employer. Codes of ethics
require that confidential client and
employer information shall not be
disclosed except in certain situations and
under certain conditions, one of which is
the receipt of written consent from the
applicable party.
• If you plan to discuss strategies on a
no-name basis or plan to distribute client
or firm information that has been
redacted, make sure you clear it with
your supervisor first.
• Consider the whole picture. Each piece
of information taken separately may not
amount to a breach of confidentiality,
but combined, these various pieces of
information could amount to a breach.
For example, even if you do not
specifically identify a client when
describing a scenario, if you disclose
enough information that a listener could
figure out the identity of said client with
a reasonable amount of inquiry, then you
have, in all likelihood, breached
confidentiality.
Finally, a message to all employers: reinforce
your internal policies regarding the use of
company and client information.
Staying onside
As a professional accountant, you have a duty of confidentiality to clients that is of paramount
importance. You also have a duty to recognize information that is proprietary to your organization.
We understand that you want to provide exemplary service to your clients, do the best job for
your employer, and improve your knowledge and efficiency—these are all meaningful goals.
Just be sure that in pursuing these goals, you keep confidentiality top of mind.
YOU SEE A HIGH RISE
OFFICE BUILDING.
WE SEE A
LOW-RISK
INVESTMENT.
ACQUISITION | MANAGEMENT | DEVELOPMENT | PORTFOLIO DIVERSIFICATION
FEASIBILITY STUDIES | DEPRECIATION REPORTS | CONSULTING
CPABC in Focus • Nov/Dec 2013
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