From the Editor
Dear VCE readers,
The devotion to promoting wellness and quality of life is one of the highest standards an engineer should uphold. This mission is especially important as technologies develop at a faster rate than society can fully understand. Now more than ever, it is crucial to advocate for awareness and return to the core purpose of engineering, to solve problems—more specifically, to solve problems for humanity. Prioritizing the greater good of people should be at the forefront of engineering decisions, ensuring vulnerable groups aren’t exploited for monetary gain. The task at hand is easier said than done; however, if the purpose of engineering is to solve problems, it is contradictory to do so in ways that compromise human well-being. Profit-driven decisions are often considered attractive and prioritized; this mindset is not sustainable long-term, as it tends to violate fundamental ethical obligations in the process.
VCE is a platform that advocates for discussions that focus on real-world ethical issues, as each conversation reels us back to reflect on our responsibility as engineers beyond the technical scope and helps revive a world-minded perspective that may have been overlooked due to competing priorities and pressures. The papers in this volume emphasize how each decision, no matter the scale, carries weight and reveals the consequences when well-being and justice are neglected in the pursuit of self-interest.
Alice Steele’s paper examines how period-tracking apps, despite their potential to improve women’s health literacy and medical understanding, often cause harm due to unethical design choices and profit-driven priorities. It shows how these apps reduce menstrual health to fertility, ignoring the complexity of women’s bodies.
Connor McGartland’s paper highlights how engineering decisions driven by profit can seriously harm vulnerable populations. It reveals that the cobalt used in the technology that powers our everyday devices, such as phones, laptops, and cars, is sourced through a system rooted in human rights abuses and unsafe labor practices.
Maria Rodriguez’s paper explores how maquiladoras boost Mexico’s economic development and strengthen global supply chains. Despite these benefits, they often operate at the expense of worker dignity and well-being. It exposes the unsafe labor conditions, long hours with low wages, lack of enforcement of safety standards, and systemic gender discrimination that exist within these manufacturing operations.
Finally, Julius Hultsch’s paper explains how the growing use of the artificial intelligence-backed Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) algorithm in U.S. courtrooms has introduced efficiency into judicial decision-making, but at the cost of fairness and individual liberty. It explains that the system relies on personal data while remaining hidden from public view, which allows biased decisions to harm people’s rights, particularly in marginalized communities.
Countless stories similar to the ones presented in this issue go unheard, and while they aren’t the ones dominating headlines, it is imperative that engineers and society alike remain attentive to these injustices and take responsibility for addressing them. While progress may be overdue, meaningful action remains essential to remediate the harm caused by these issues, rather than allowing them to persist.
As these papers present core challenges that may be difficult to solve, I invite you to think with them as a means of better understanding recurring behaviors and patterns that many corporations follow, often leading to the abandonment of what it truly means to be an engineer. With that, we are thrilled to introduce VCE Volume 9, Issue 1.
Mary Karapetyan, VCE Editor-in-Chief
- The Ethics of Period Tracking Apps
In a time of transitioning out of male-centric health research, period-tracking apps have great potential for advancing women’s healthcare. They can provide users with better health literacy, informing them of important patterns in their bodies. However, instead of living up to their potential, period trackers are causing great harm. Engineers have a responsibility to take accountability for the impact their technology has on women’s lives; they have a responsibility to create a better version of these apps that can truly benefit women’s healthcare. - The Ethics of Engineering & Management of Maquiladoras
Maquiladoras, or manufacturing plants in Mexico, have become Mexico’s major economic powerhouse, driven by Mexico’s international tariff programs [1]. Maquiladoras have significantly impacted workers’ quality of life, including their well-being, professional development, and working conditions [2]. However, a lack of enforcement of industry standards and professional codes leads to labor malpractice and continued marginalization [1]. Thus, engineers and employers must consider these ethical issues when optimizing systems and developing new workplace technologies. - The Ethical Responsibility of Engineers in the Cobalt Supply Chain
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power many modern devices, such as smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles. These batteries are considered the most effective option and rely on cobalt predominantly sourced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A majority of the country’s cobalt is manually sourced by artisanal small-scale miners who often suffer severe health and human rights violations due to corruption and lack of government oversight. This article will analyze the ethics of maintaining a supply chain alongside such operations and the engineers’ moral obligation to improve it. - Artificial Intelligence in the Courtroom: Friend or Foe?
Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions is the US’s primary predictive analytics tool in the courts. When artificial intelligence (AI) is deployed in high-impact human environments like courtrooms, a volcano of ethical dilemmas erupts. AI improves consistency and efficiency and reduces human error. However, it lacks transparency and moral judgment. Furthermore, AI is a vessel for bias that slips into algorithms, damaging human lives. AI’s consequences generally fall into two categories: broad human rights violations—affecting privacy, education, life, and due process—and systemic bias, exemplified by the unfairness of tools like the COMPAS sentencing algorithm. There is also a clear unequal treatment and violation of the defendant’s liberty. Nevertheless, with transparency of algorithms, there is a brighter path forward. To ensure the safe, widespread use of artificial justice, interdisciplinary collaboration is required.