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Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Viterbi Conversations in Ethics

Viterbi Conversations in Ethics
Viterbi Conversations in Ethics
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    • Letter from the Editor
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    • The Ethics of Self-Driving Cars
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Author: Tyler Amano-Smerling

Featured Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Inequality of Virtual Reality

Tyler Amano-Smerling February 22, 2021 OculusTechVirtual Reality

Virtual reality seems like a great escape, especially after nearly a year of lockdown, but it’s rife with inequities; do technology companies have a responsibility to combat these inequities before VR becomes a larger part of our daily lives?

View More The Inequality of Virtual Reality
Summer 2020 Weekly News Profile

When COVID-19 Forces Ugly Decisions

Tyler Amano-Smerling August 10, 2020 COVID-19Ethics PanelHospitals

8/10/2020 As morgues in Arizona and Texas begin to overflow into refrigeration trucks and the number of Americans hospitalized nears a record high, COVID-19’s toll on Americans–– and American…

View More When COVID-19 Forces Ugly Decisions
Summer 2020 Weekly News Profile

The Reality Behind TikTok’s Privacy Frenzy

Tyler Amano-Smerling July 13, 2020 ChinaData PrivacyTikTok

7/13/2020 Two weeks ago, the Indian government announced a ban on TikTok over concerns for “the sovereignty and security of India” due to its “stealing and… transmitting…

View More The Reality Behind TikTok’s Privacy Frenzy
Summer 2020 Weekly News Profile

Revisiting Body Cams: Holding Police More Accountable

Tyler Amano-Smerling June 29, 2020 Black Lives MatterBody CamerasPoliceSurveillance

6/29/2020 As the surge in calls for police reform around the country grows, local government boards in Los Angeles, Fort Wayne, and other major cities have taken…

View More Revisiting Body Cams: Holding Police More Accountable
Spring 2020 Weekly News Profile

Facial Recognition in Schools Might Do More Harm than Good

Tyler Amano-Smerling February 24, 2020 Facial RecognitionPrivacySurveillance

2/24/2020 “Being spied on like dissidents is not part of the high school experience that any of us would want for our children,” urged Jim Schulz,…

View More Facial Recognition in Schools Might Do More Harm than Good
Fall 2019 Weekly News Profile

Sugar Pastilles, “Berlin Wall” Pills, and Duck Liver: Regulating Homeopathic Medicine

Tyler Amano-Smerling November 11, 2019 Alternative MedicineFDAHomeopathy

11/11/2019 Though they may seem vastly different to the standard vaccinations and antibiotics, supplements such as Anas Barbariae– extract of duck heart and liver– or…

View More Sugar Pastilles, “Berlin Wall” Pills, and Duck Liver: Regulating Homeopathic Medicine

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Current Issue

Fall 2020 Featured Volume 4 Issue 2

The Ethics of Self-Driving Cars

Isabel Yarwood Perez December 12, 2020

Self-driving cars process huge amounts of sensory information in a very short amount of time. The processing speed of this information allows self-driving cars to make an informed decision on how to act in the case of an accident. In scenarios where casualties are unavoidable, this produces an ethical dilemma in determining who should survive, raising questions about how the value of a life should be calculated. Ultimately, because all lives are equal and no individual should have power over deciding the fate of the lives of others, self-driving cars are unethical.

Fall 2020 Featured Volume 4 Issue 2

Profitable Risk: The Dangers of Consumer Spaceflight and Space Tourism

Brandon Dillon December 12, 2020

Society is rapidly approaching an era in which ordinary civilians can purchase tickets to become passengers on space vehicles. Companies worldwide are deep in the development of infrastructure and technology to provide spaceflight for amusement and transportation. These endeavors deviate fundamentally from traditional spaceflight and raise questions about the ethical implications of commercial spaceflight with civilian passengers.

Fall 2020 Featured Volume 4 Issue 2

Autonomous Accidents: The Ethics of Self-Driving Car Crashes

Teagan Ampe December 12, 2020

Self-driving cars are no longer confined to the realm of sci-fi; a variety of autonomous vehicles are under development by companies around the world. Before they hit consumer markets, though, manufacturers, lawmakers, and society as a whole must decide how cars should behave ethically in the worst-case scenario: a possibly fatal crash.

Fall 2020 Featured Volume 4 Issue 2

Sounds So Good It Hurts

Ryan Dale December 12, 2020

The audio industry is not typically one that most would consider dangerous. However, the act of music compression and the expansion of large music festivals has created a perfect environment for damaged hearing. The engineers in this industry are instrumental in this process, and they have an obligation to prevent these hearing related injuries. This is due to their responsibility to look out for the common good, the utility of society, their own virtue, and the implications of their ethical code.

Weekly News Profile

Featured Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

The Inequality of Virtual Reality

Tyler Amano-Smerling February 22, 2021

Virtual reality seems like a great escape, especially after nearly a year of lockdown, but it’s rife with inequities; do technology companies have a responsibility to combat these inequities before VR becomes a larger part of our daily lives?

Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

Facebook’s Role in Mitigating Vaccine Misinformation

Sabrina Sy February 15, 2021

Facebook is cracking down on the spread of misinformation about vaccines – is this a violation of free speech or a valid effort to protect the public?

"Airplane Engine" by Pixabay from Pexels
Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

Learning to Trust Black Box Artificial Intelligence

Michael DeLucia February 8, 2021

Rolls-Royce’s “AI 2.0” has a massive series of checks to ensure its integrity; should this be the standard for other “explainable” AIs?

Spring 2021 Weekly News Profile

How Apps are Influencing Reddit’s War with Wall Street

Isabel Brieler February 1, 2021

2/1/2021 While 2020 was undoubtedly a strange year for the stock market, with industries swinging unprecedentedly up and down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, January…

Fall 2020 Weekly News Profile

Galactic Law and Ownership

Michael DeLucia November 9, 2020

11/9/2020 Space exploration is as fascinating as it is frightening. With plans to explore Mars and beyond proposed for upcoming decades, sooner rather than later,…

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