Cryptocurrency lying on white-yellow background

Balancing the Ledger: A Critical Examination of Cryptocurrency Ethics

Despite a significant drop in interest surrounding cryptocurrency technology recently, techno futurists continue to center their claims and justifications around a promised future of decentralized control, security, and transparency. This paper examines the ethical implications of the technology in the context of such promises. It challenges the optimistic narrative by discussing the often-ignored consequences that cryptocurrencies impose on various parts of society, particularly those who are already marginalized. The exploration delves into issues such as the digital divide, the inherent volatility and unpredictability of cryptocurrencies, and their ecological footprint, disputing claims that the benefits outweigh the harms.

View More Balancing the Ledger: A Critical Examination of Cryptocurrency Ethics
Girl blended into a background full of code

Ethics of Data Sharing and Digital Privacy 

In today’s connected world, data has become an integral part of driving innovation, shaping the way people interact with the digital world. However, concerns surrounding data privacy have also emerged as a crucial challenge faced in the digital age. Data engineers, corporations, and governmental organizations need to take responsibility for safeguarding data and protecting user privacy, especially as the exchange of personal information becomes more prevalent. It is important to understand the components of data ethics and the current legal and ethical frameworks for data sharing, as well as case studies, such as the 2023 MGM Casino Cyberattack, to find potential resolutions for this issue.

View More Ethics of Data Sharing and Digital Privacy 
Image of rocket launching

Lost in Space: The Ethics of the Private Space Race

Space exploration has long been an important mission for humanity, one that has seen immense progress in recent years due, in part, to the growth of the private space industry. Private corporations have made significant progress in space travel and technology and have laid the groundwork for a “space-for-space” economy: a new economic paradigm detached from existing markets that serves life in space rather than focusing efforts on improving life on Earth. The role of private enterprises calls into question the ethical considerations of granting corporations access to the vast resources of space and implores us as engineers to define ethical standards to balance technological innovation with societal progress.

View More Lost in Space: The Ethics of the Private Space Race
Image of a satellite in space

Eyes in the Sky: Ethical Considerations of Commercial Satellite Surveillance

Satellite data is an indispensable resource that now constitutes a large portion of the commercial world in the United States. However, as satellite technology improves, the collection and distribution of high-quality data poses a threat to national security and personal privacy. Further, the nature of international space legislation leaves the U.S. vulnerable to collect and distribute threatening data. This calls the ethics of satellite surveillance into question. Engineers, the last barrier between companies and increasingly detailed data, must step up and consider the ethics of further developing satellite capabilities.

View More Eyes in the Sky: Ethical Considerations of Commercial Satellite Surveillance
Girl looking at her phone at night

Smartphone Addiction on the Rise: Are Flip Phones Making a Comeback? 

Smartphone addiction has become a significant concern, leading to a growing need for a “digital detox.” Social media, streaming services, and mobile games are primary contributors to increased screen time among smartphone users. Carefully curated algorithms drive users to spend countless hours on these applications, triggering dopamine releases and potentially leading to addiction. To address this concern, more people are opting to switch to a classic flip phone as a way to reduce their screen time and break the cycle of smartphone addiction.

View More Smartphone Addiction on the Rise: Are Flip Phones Making a Comeback? 
Photos of over sea cloud at sunset

Spraying the Bay: A Controversy 

Geoengineers at the University of Washington may have discovered a way to lower regional temperatures through the use of artificial marine cloud brightening (MCB). The team settled down in Alemade, California to start test runs of their project in early April. However, a lack of transparency on their part may get their research shut down.

View More Spraying the Bay: A Controversy 
Picture of Astronaut in space

Houston, We Have a Problem

Starliner’s long-awaited Crew Flight Test will finally happen on May 6. Starliner is the Boeing-produced capsule that will hold the astronauts on their journey to the International Space Station. Although the launch date is set in stone, the constant malfunctions that have plagued Starliner and Boeing’s declining credibility indicate that a further delay would be the safest thing to do to ensure the crew’s safety.

View More Houston, We Have a Problem
After heaviest storm and rain in Dubai, the flooding in the streets and highways has created some unique scenes.

Flooding in the Desert Caused by Climate Change?

Last week, the Arabian peninsula was hit by unprecedented rainfall, with parts of the desert nation United Arab Emirates receiving 10 inches of rain within 24 hours.
While this extreme weather mimics the patterns climate scientists have long warned about, some wonder if cloud seeding could instead be to blame for the catastrophic storms. However, scientists have debunked that theory, highlighting a public reluctance to believe that the global climate crisis is creating these extreme events. Linking these severe weather events to climate change is the first step to protecting human lives.

View More Flooding in the Desert Caused by Climate Change?
Person playing video game

Video Game Potential for Social Good

Four years ago, the game developers behind the hit game Borderlands 3 and McGill University partnered to create Borderlands Science, a minigame that gamers would complete to help researchers categorize DNA sequences from microbes found in the human gut. While the project was initially met with skepticism, it has since proven to be extremely successful. Over 4.5 million people have contributed to scientific research through the video game. Borderlands Science establishes an important precedent for the role video games can have in scientific research and social good.

View More Video Game Potential for Social Good
Image of Construction Workers

Fighting for our Latino Migrant Workers after Baltimore’s Bridge Collapse

Tragedy struck on the night of March 26 when the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore came tumbling down. The collapse occurred after a large container ship, the Dali, collided with the bridge. However, the collapse was far from the most heartbreaking news of the event; Six men who had been working on the bridge when it fell lost their lives. The six men, Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Carlos Hernandez, Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, and Jose Mynor Lopez, were all migrant workers from Central America. As we remember and honor their lives, their deaths highlight the lack of care in the construction industry when it comes to protecting Latino migrant workers.

View More Fighting for our Latino Migrant Workers after Baltimore’s Bridge Collapse