Carter Hauschildt

Professor Prouty

CPRE 394

03 March, 2024

Ethics in Engineering

Ethics, in the business world, is quite the important concept, making companies morally

accountable to themselves in order to protect their reputations and the public. In engineering,

strong ethical standards are even more important as many engineering projects can have an

impact on public health and wellbeing. Strong ethics guide engineers away from potentially

harmful decisions and practices, generally creating better outcomes for engineers, their firms,

and the public.

Most businesses, including those in engineering industries, set out a clear code of ethics

for themselves. Although to many these standards may seem redundant or obvious, these allow

companies to better maintain a good image with the public, and when these standards are

violated, people can be removed using these clear, easy to understand guidelines. A code of

ethics also keeps these integral standards at the top of mind for all those adhering to them,

meaning that in theory, you should see very few violations in the workplace. In general, a solid

code of ethics is a very useful tool for companies and their employees alike, providing a very

clear moral framework for the work they do and keeping personal motivations separate from

work in a way that protects businesses, employees, and the public all at the same time.
 While a code of ethics is very important in laying the foundation on which companies

operate, there are many dilemmas which may put those standards to the test. An example of this

sort of moral dilemma would be the example of a scientist building a database of job-related

injuries for paramedics. This information would be used to improve public welfare by creating

new injury prevention techniques based on what is most common, but the data being used to

create this database could be considered personally identifiable information, which can lead to

the identities of those involved, which is a serious violation of privacy law. While this may seem

cut and dry to some, seeing the violation of law and steering clear of the situation, others may be

more driven by the goal of their work and focus more on the tangible benefits, which would be

increased safety, rather than a potential effect on those whose medical information was

wrongfully used. Although in this case the engineer may lose his project if he reports these

violations, if he had a clear code of ethics laid out in front of him at all times, it would be a much

clearer decision, even though the loss of potential work is never a favorable option.

Another example of an ethical dilemma could be the use of data stored on devices like

amazon echo in criminal cases. While the echo does not record and save all audio that it uses, it

does save data like the time and date when it was used as well as small audio clips that may be

useful in proving innocence or guilt in a case in which somebody was murdered in close

proximity to the device. However, the mere discussion of the recording of this data in the first

place sets off alarms for many people who value their privacy. Most people don’t enjoy the

thought of their voices or actions being recorded and stored in the cloud where they have no

control over it. The article about the issue makes clear that people do not appreciate having their

conversations recorded without permission, but in this specific circumstance, data collection

policies put in place by amazon allow for this data to be collected, and though many people
would like to see policies like that change, it seems right in this situation to use the data in the

criminal case. The ethical issues surrounding privacy have gotten a lot of attention in the media

as of late, and the collection into the future, I think, is the real consideration to make here. It

seems that to most in our class, privacy is valued above the potential benefit of this data being

recorded, and I feel the same. While there is a small potential that this information could be

useful to any given person, the true power of people’s data lies in marketplace evaluations and

targeted advertising, so while companies may look at this situation and see an immense benefit,

the average consumer will likely only see the downsides, so this is where a company having a

very strong code of ethics may make problem solving easier. This particular case, in my opinion,

strongly relates to numbers 1, 2 and 5 of the IEEE code of ethics. Number 1 of the code has to do

with taking responsibility in decision making to protect the safety, health, and welfare of the

public, which could include disclosing the information collected by the echo and either convict a

criminal or set an innocent man free. Number 2 has to do with conflicts of interest, which I see in

the conflict between protecting privacy and using personal data to further the financial interests

of companies and corporations. Finally, number 5 has to do with understanding technology, both

in use and in consequences, because an echo allows for great convenience, but it can be costly to

people’s privacy. Elements of the code more closely relating to malice or ill intent as well as

bribery, like 9 and 4 on the IEEE code, don’t really apply to an issue like this, though they could

be applicable in the issue of the Pinto. Other elements could be potentially considered less

relevant in this situation, but depending on the context in which a device and data collection like

this is used, you can easily bring more elements of the code into the fold.

In discussing the topics set out for us, I believe many of us in the class came to similar

conclusions. Many of us value privacy and safety above all else with regards to these topics,
though the debate as to where a line gets drawn on some topics is ongoing. For some, privacy

should be absolute, while others recognize the benefit of allowing some data collection where it

may be used to protect people’s health, or potentially their lives. Despite having a strong code of

ethics to follow, corruption still presents itself in companies as shown with the Ford Pinto, and

there still exists a gray space around topics like privacy, where legality and even the idea of right

and wrong can’t be agreed upon. Consensus could be found around the topics of privacy and

safety to an extent, but solutions were hard to come by. While there can be good discussion

around these subjects, proposing a good solution is difficult, and then creating a general

consensus around said solution is even more so.

The subject of ethics in the engineering world is one of constant discussion, and a solid

code of ethics is necessary to ensure engineers as a whole put their skills to use in a way that

benefits not just themselves or their firms, but the general public as well. While there can be

much discussion about certain topics in which gray areas exist, a code of ethics still provides a

foundation upon which tough decisions may be made, and in the ever-changing world of

engineering, ethics must remain at the forefront of the development of new technologies.