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- Policy and influence
- Tech and society
Tech and society
BCS believes in making IT good for society - part of this is navigating the transformative benefits of IT and digital technology safely and securely.
BCS works in a variety of ways with the government, the public sector, private industry and civil society to generate practical solutions to key issues such as online harms, cyber security and data security and protection.
Events, articles and reports
Published policy papers
Join in
Discover BCS membership! You’ll be joining a thriving community of IT professionals and benefits include access to regular events, conferences, meetings, as well the chance to join our members’ groups such as the ICT Ethics specialist group, or the Law Specialist Group.
Share your support
BCS regularly polls IT professionals and members on topical issues. Our surveys are one way that we listen to our members opinions and this helps to form our policies on major areas of public policy, such as the NHSX contract tracing app.
BCS Fellows Technical Advisory Group (F-TAG)
F-TAG's aim is to explain the opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies, what they mean for the digital industries and for the competitiveness of ‘UK Plc’.
The group is chaired by Rashik Parmar FBCS (an IBM Vice-President and a member of BCS’ Organisation and Employers’ Board), and is made up of 25 BCS Fellows selected from diverse demographic and professional backgrounds.
"Lack of diversity in product development teams is a concern as non-diverse teams may be more likely to follow practices that inadvertently hard-wire bias into new products or services."
Explore our other priorities
Artificial intelligence (AI)
BCS wants to see the creation of a diverse ethical AI workforce, as we believe this is central to reducing machine learning bias. The government listened when BCS advised there needed to be an increase in MSc computer science courses, with ethics built-in to the curriculum. We also examine key issues around the use, and misuse, of AI.
Diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion as standard; that’s the common goal for our industry. Yet women account for only 20% of IT specialists; and BAME IT professionals are less likely to be in senior roles, despite being better qualified. Like many industries, there are complex and wide-ranging challenges we have to face. At BCS, we’re facing them together as a priority.
Education
We support the teaching of rigorous and relevant computer science across the academic spectrum, from primary schools to universities. We are also the end-point assessor for the thriving digital apprenticeship sector.
Green IT and Net Zero
As the professional body for the IT industry, BCS is committed to playing its part in tackling the climate emergency. We have formally adopted the drive for Net Zero and the promotion of Green IT as one of our four organisational policy and campaign priorities.
Health and care
Digital health is undergoing rapid change and BCS, as the professional body for IT, is committed to supporting the establishment of regulated professional standards in this sector.