Ethics are the policies that you internalize and use to measure your operation. The standards that others apply to you or that you are required to meet by external forces, such as licensing bodies, may be called ethics, but they are more accurately described as laws. Many professions now call these laws codes of conduct or professional responsibility (Bill Nelson, 2010). People need ethics to help them maintain balance, especially in troubling and controversial situations, and to be guided by their values. Ethics also helps you maintain respect for yourself and your profession. Since computer forensic examiners do not have the same formal and detailed codes of conduct as those in professions such as medicine and law, relying on an internal code of ethics may be more important. Additionally, your internal standards, linked to a conceptual, religious or moral position, may be higher than the standards imposed by professional codes of conduct. Laws governing codes of conduct or professional responsibility define the lowest level of action or performance required to avoid liability. Even with ...