Jacob Steffens

Tina Prouty

EE 394

December 11, 2022

Engineering Ethics

Ethics are an integral part of any individual. By definition, a code of ethics serves as a

compass for guiding our actions in a specific direction, good or bad. In electrical engineering, we

abide by the IEEE code of ethics. These ethics lay the foundation for how engineers should

conduct themselves in a professional environment. This ethical system helps electrical engineers

make decisions that are of the highest standards of integrity and responsible behavior. My

classmates and I have discussed two ethical dilemmas and how they relate to the IEEE ethics in

class. We have also gone over the "6 Virtue Ethics" and how they act as another layer of a good

ethical foundation.

Engineers have difficult jobs, and they have to battle with challenging decisions on a

daily basis. These decisions can range from design choices on projects to how they interact with

their colleagues and customers. All of these decisions and choices have consequences; thus, an

engineer must abide by a code of ethics in a professional setting. A common ethical obligation is

putting people's health and safety before money. A place where this happens often is in spaces

where people are performing manual labor. It is an engineer's obligation to design a space to be

ergonomic, accessible, and safe for the individual working in it. Take a confined space, for

instance; this could be a large storage tank, a maintenance tunnel, or even an elevator shaft.
Many things could be purposely overlooked when it comes to a maintenance worker's health and

safety in order to save money. It could be as simple as not running electrical conduit for light, or

even purposely forcing a worker to use improper equipment as long as "it gets the job done."

Though it would probably cost more money to put these safety systems in place, it's the

engineer's ethical duty to ensure adequate solutions are presented in these situations regardless of

the perceived cost. As an engineer, I will go out of my way to make decisions that minimize as

much human suffering as possible, regardless of the situation. I plan on confronting my current

viewpoint and normalizing any deviation from my original ethical intentions and the IEEE code

of ethics.

In class, we discussed some issues relating to the well-being of customers and their data rather

than employees' well-being. We discussed an issue where the company, Amazon, withheld

customer data from law enforcement investigators of murder, and we discussed the implications

of unethical medical data collection. The ethical issues presented in the articles revolved around

the release of customer data and who should have access to it. They prioritized the well-being of

their customers' data over everything else. In the Amazon case, the engineers refused to provide

the customer data to the authorities to protect their privacy, and in the "Big Data Issue" article,

the engineer involved had the dilemma of losing his job versus, For the most part, my classmates

and I agreed with the actions taken by the engineers involved in the Amazon article. The

consensus on the "Big Data Issue" was a little more mixed as the subject of the article was left

with a decision to use ill-gotten medical data or tell his boss that he refuses to use it. The article

did not have a conclusive conclusion. The class consensus seemed to be that he should speak

with his boss about the issue and refuse to use it in order to maintain good ethics. There were

also opinions about preventing an incident like this by making your ethics clear at the start of the
project. This would limit much of the ethical conflicts later in the project. Overall, I feel that my

classmates and myself share similar ethical points of view.

Our classes' ethical discussions centered around integrity, honesty, and fidelity. In the "Big Data

Issue," the engineer in question had a dilemma of honesty and integrity. He could use the

medical data his boss acquired without the consent of the owners, or he could stick to his ethical

compass and refuse. This is why most of our discussion centered around honesty and integrity.

We, as a class, believed that the engineer should be honest and only use the ethically acquired

data and stick to his original plan, despite it interfering with his boss's wishes. The "Amazon"

case revolved around the company's loyalty to its customer. Most of the discussion revolved

around praising Amazon for not giving in to the investigation agency's demands, as the company

was committed to protecting the customer's privacy. Charity, responsibility, and self-discipline

were not the main issues presented during our discussion. I think this is mostly due to the issues

revolving around the property of individuals and not necessarily the individual themselves. This

leads to less personable decisions being made where the actions don't directly correspond to the

suffering of an individual. However, leaked personal data can indirectly harm a person through

various mediums. Personal data, if leaked, could harm the perception others have of the

individual whose data has been leaked. Thus, it must be protected at all costs.

Ethics are everywhere in society; they dictate how we act and behave in various

situations. Our ethical foundations are an integral part of any individual. This is why we must

continuously address our own ethics and analyze what lens we use to view situations. Engineers

should maintain ethical high ground in all professional situations. Discussion amongst peers is

also an excellent way to hone your ethical compass. However, ethical foundations Such as the

IEEE code of ethics provide a solid foundation to base your ethical beliefs on.