View sample non-disclosure and non-compete contractual agreements in the Models and Templates section of this Web site.

• Privacy at Work? Be Serious
  In a Wired News article Jeffery Benner discusses new products used by employers to monitor workers' electronic communications. How much information do you think your employer should be able to monitor and collect from you? How much of the output of your brain should your employer be able to own?
  
  
• 15-Year-Old Caught by the S.E.C. Using Financial Chatrooms Like a Stock Analyst
  New York Times article "Jonathan Lebed: Stock Manipulator, S.E.C. Nemesis—and 15" discusses an ethical quandary for the Securities and Exchange Commission that regulates stockbrokers and Wall Street. An anonymous 15-year-old was posting technical financial information about companies and their stocks in financial chatrooms. He was so persuasive and hid his age so well, it drove up the price of the stock, a classic "pump and dump" scheme. The law was written to control the insider behavior of stockbrokers and it didn't quite know what to do with anonymous posters in chatrooms. What do you believe is the ethical response to this situation? Whose side are you on?
  
  Technical Communication and the Nazi Regime
  
  
• German Memo from 1942
  Every student of technical communication should read and analyze this memo, BEFORE turning to Steve Katz's excellent article in College English: Steven B. Katz, "The Ethic of Expediency," College English (March 1992): 255.
  
  Codes of Ethics for Various Professions
  
  
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  ASBMB primarily focuses on ethical research practices.
  
  
• ASME Code of Ethics for Engineers
  As referenced in the ASME Constitution, Article C2.1.1. Fundamental principles, canons, and policies of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
  
  
• NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers
  Similar in tone to the ASME code, the National Society of Professional Engineers document is presented concisely, with not as much referencing to its constitution and more to actual practices of engineers.
  
  
• Code of Ethics for Electrical and Electronic Engineers
  Known as I-Triple-E, IEEE focuses on accepting a personal obligation to the profession, its members, and the communities.
  
  
• ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
  Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has another commonly found "constitutional-style" code of ethics also covers "general moral imperatives" such as an obligation to contribute to society and human well-being. Many technological advancements fall under the umbrella of ACM, from artificial intelligence (AI) to virtual reality (VR), the cyborging of humans and the humanizing of robots—it is reassuring to know that humans and society are a priority.
  
  
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
  A more pro-active approach to ethics, EFF was created to defend users' rights to think, speak, and share ideas, thoughts, and needs using new technologies, such as the Internet and the World Wide Web. EFF was one of the first to identify threats to online rights and to advocate on behalf of free expression in the digital age.
  
  

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