Your Inner Compass When the Rulebook Fails: Ethics, Risk, and Doing Right by People

Every information professional faces moments where the legally compliant choice feels wrong. When deletion schedules conflict with safeguarding concerns. When transparency obligations could endanger someone. When following the policy to the letter would cause harm. These grey areas are terrifying, especially the first time, because there’s rarely a safe space to discuss them. This interactive workshop creates that space. Through real anonymised scenarios from humanitarian contexts, you’ll practise navigating decisions where ethics and compliance collide. INGOs aren’t unique in facing these dilemmas, they’re simply extreme examples of challenges playing out across sectors daily. Working in small groups, you’ll develop frameworks for situations where laws conflict, policies fail, or compliance would cause harm. Drawing on my experiences managing privacy across volatile international contexts with vulnerable populations, we’ll build your confidence to make defensible, documented, human-centred decisions. This isn’t about ignoring the law. It’s about strengthening your professional compass.