[kasey_junk]

You misunderstand my point. Are there examples of other sorts of engineers being brought up on charges?

It only happens in the most egregious of negligence cases as it is and even then convictions are rare.

I'm saying your impression that software engineering is protected is wrong, because no engineers (to any normal approximate) are brought up on criminal charges.

[cbcoutinho]

Lawsuits are commonplace in civil/geotechnical engineering because faulty work has life and death consequences for the general public. To be a certified professional engineer and sign-off on design plans in California you need to pass an exam, after which could result in issues of liability. This law practice defends professionals that may be in a dispute [0]. Here's a breakdown of why engineers might get sued [1]. Here's a case where a company was held liable for damages associated with a construction project [2].

The title 'software engineer' without any notion of liability is an exercise in stroking ones ego.

[0] https://mylicenseattorney.com/california-board-for-professio...

[1] https://design.insureon.com/news/3-reasons-engineers-get-sue...

[2] http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-supreme-court/1671856.html

[kasey_junk]

He said “criminal” charges. That is a very high bar.

Software engineers can be held liable in civil suits, as can other engineers even if there is no professional accreditation body for their industry.

It is less common in software than civil engineering for a few reasons, one of which is that customers literally have no problem signing away their liability. No one would sign a contract from a bridge designer that said “this might fall over in a stiff breeze” but that happens all the time with software.