The Rights and Responsibilities of Engineers

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The Rights and Responsibilities of Engineers
Presented by
Katherine Riffle Simon de los Rios David Oates
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The Rights and Responsibilities of Engineers

• Professional Responsibility
• Confidentiality Responsibility
• Conflict of Interest
• Environmental Ethics
• -Miami Circle
• Computer Ethics
• Avanti Corporation Vs. Cadence Design Systems

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Professional Responsibilities

• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) System
• BART is an automated train system that was
  constructed in San Francisco in the early 1970s.
• Three engineers working on the project had some
  safety concerns and were not satisfied with the
  testing procedures currently in use.
• After speaking with their supervisors the
  engineers decided to notify upper management of
  the problem.
• The real question is

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Is taking an ethical stand worth risking your
position and career over?

• To these engineers the answer was a resounding
  YES!
• They were not willing to risk public safety to
  keep their company happy.
• After a public scandal each worker was fired.

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Confidentiality Responsibility

• Why?
• Misuse of a companys private information will
  directly affect the ability of that company to
  excel in a competitive atmosphere
• This information can be used by a competitor to
  gain and advantage or steal ideas.
• Most companies have there employees sign a
  confidentiality agreement that restricts them
  from sharing business information.

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Conflict of Interest

• Actual Conflicts 
• Potential Conflicts- threaten to easily become
  actual conflicts of interest.
• Appearance of Conflict- engineer is not
  necessarily at fault but may appear to have a
  hidden agenda.

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Appearance of Conflict

• It is our job as engineers to not put ourselves
  in situations where there is any appearance of
  evil or hidden agendas.

Otherwise we are setting ourselves up for
disaster!
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Environmental Ethics

• The most recent ethical controversies have
  revolved around the environment.
• The industrial age has brought on many new
  environmental hazards.
• The technology we create affects the environment.

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Approaches to Environmental Ethics

• Cost-oblivious approach
• Environment is made as clean as possible
• Cost is not taken into account
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Costs and benefits weighed to determine the
  optimum combination
• Although it is difficult to assess the value of
  costs and benefits

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What are the responsibilities of engineers to the
environment?

• To follow all state, federal, and municipal laws.
• To be true to ones personal ethical beliefs.
• To insure public and environmental safety.

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Miami Circle

• A Tequesta Indian ceremonial structure
• Discovered in 1998
• The owner and developer of the land Michael
  Bauman did not want to stop construction of two
  high rise apartments

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Miami Circle
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Miami Circle Resolution

• Mr. Bauman suggested moving the site, but
  environmentalists quickly rejected that idea.
• Finally the city of Miami decided to buy back the
  land.

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What Is Different About "Computer Ethics?"

• Definition of ethics
• Ethics is the branch of philosophy that makes
  moral judgments, considers issues of right and
  wrong, and determines what behaviors are humane
  and inhumane.
• Ethical behavior vs. computer ethical behavior
  Example.

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Computer Ethics

• Code of ethical behavior
• Technological advances require engineers to
  address a new type ethical considerations.
• Example Hacking

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Computer Ethics

• Computers as instruments of unethical behavior
• No physical risks
• Privacy
• Property
• Appropriate use

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Avanti Corp. Vs. Cadence Design Systems

• Cadence manufactures electronic design automation
  products
• Avanti is a rival of Cadence
• In 1997, 8 employees of Avanti were indicted for
  stealing Cadences intellectual property.

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The Court Case

• Cadence stated Avanti had stolen almost 600,000
  line of code
• 7 of Avantis employees faced fines for millions
  of dollars and jail time

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Works Cited

• Dr. Ramon C. Barquin's paper, In Pursuit of a
  Ten Commandments for Computer Ethics.
  http//www.brook.edu/its/cei/overview/Ten_
  Commanments_of_ Computer_Ethics.htm
• Kynthia. 2002. The Miami Circleonline. Miami,
  Florida Save the Circle, cited 20 March 2005.
  Available from the World Wide Web
  http//www.visionearth.org/savethecircle/contents.
  html
• Wilson, Mike. 1999. Placesonline. Tampa, FL
  cited 21 March 2005. Available from the World
  Wide Web http//www.sptimes.com/News/
  103199/Floridian/Mystery_circle.shtml
• Fleddermann, Charles. 2004. Engineering Ethics
  Second Edition. New Jersey Pearson Prentice Hall