This document discusses various topics relating to ethics in computer engineering including honesty, trustworthiness, academic integrity, research integrity, self-deception, bias, and consulting engineers. It addresses issues like lying, deception, plagiarism, falsifying data, negligence, advertising, competitive bidding, and contingency fees. Examples are provided relating to cases involving Toyota, Volkswagen, cold fusion experiments, and second-hand smoking research to illustrate these ethical challenges. Maintaining honesty and integrity is emphasized as important for engineers, especially when acting as expert witnesses or advisors influencing public policy.

1. ENCS 521
Computer Engineering Ethics
Honesty
Abdel Salam Sayyad

2. Truthfulness
• Forbids lying, but also forbids:
– Intentional distortion and exaggeration
– Withholding relevant information (except when
confidential)
– Claiming undeserved credit
– Any misrepresentation designed to deceive…
– Failing to investigate relevant information
– Allowing one’s judgment to be corrupted
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3. Trustworthiness
• Deceit is a form of manipulation that
undermines human’s ability to make up their
own minds…
• Deceit coerces people into acting against their
will!
• Deceit deprives people of their own moral
autonomy.
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4. Case: Toyota Runaway Cars
• Watch this Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df-
N6_eUOGQ
• Toyota settled the case for $1 Billion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNo-
_alYiVk
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5. Case: Volkswagen Emissions Cheat
• Watch this explainer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ4irwe3Z
Dk
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6. Academic Integrity
• Forbids cheating, but also forbids:
– Fabrication (e.g. experiment results)
– Plagiarism
– Facilitating Academic Dishonesty
– Misrepresentation (e.g. false excuse for absence)
– Failure to contribute to a collaborative project
– Sabotage
– Theft
• Academic Dishonesty cannot be justified in any
case!
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7. Research Integrity
• Avoid scientific misconduct, such as (Charles
Babbage categories):
– Forging, deception to establish one’s reputation as a
researcher
– Hoaxing, deception intended to last only for a while
– Trimming, selectively omitting bits of data
– Cooking, selective reporting of results, falsifying,
“massaging data”
• Add one more: “negligence”.
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8. Self-Deception and Bias
• Self-Deception: announcing results before
peer-reviews…
– Example: Cold Fusion experiment at the University
of Utah in 1989.
• Bias: research funding to promote a product.
– Example: varying results about second-hand
smoking.
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9. Consulting Engineers - Advertising
• Prior to a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court Ruling,
competitive advertising in engineering was
banned by professional codes of ethics…
• It was deemed unfair to colleagues to win
work through one’s skills as an advertiser,
rather than one’s earned reputation as an
engineer.
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10. Consulting Engineers – Competitive
Bidding
• Prior to a 1978 U.S. Supreme Court Ruling,
competitive bidding in engineering was
banned by professional codes of ethics…
• Engineers were only allowed to apply a fee
structure to the contracts.
• Clients have to rely on reputation and proved
qualifications…
– The new and young consultants are disadvantaged
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11. Consulting Engineers – Contingency
Fees
• NSPE code of ethics: “Engineers shall not
request , propose, or accept a commission on
a contingent basis under circumstances in
which their judgment may be compromised.”
• Example: The fee is due if the consultant finds
cost-saving methods that will save 10% on an
already contracted project. Otherwise, no fee!
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12. Honesty especially needed when
engineers act as…
• Expert witnesses in courts.
• Advisors in public planning and policy-
making.
End of Lecture
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