Editorial: Public positions on controversial technical issues

A number of issues are raised by the release of IEEE position papers. The need for such releases is said to be public education. In a democratic society, the public must acquire accurate perceptions of reality surrounding important public issues which, in today´s world, are largely of a technological nature. The information on which public perceptions are based must, therefore, be factual and objective, unbiased by private interests — whether economic or professional.