Professional
Practices
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Sabir Shah
University of Buner
Course Overview
Introduction Intellectual Property
Occupation and its types, Profession &
Professional Practice, Characteristics of a
Principles, Laws, and Cases, Responses to Copyright
profession, Computing Sciences Professions, Issues Infringement, Search Engines and Online Libraries,
in Computer Sciences Professions, Ethics & Variety Free Software, Patents for Inventions in Software
of Ethical Views
Privacy Cyber Crime
Privacy Risks and Principles, Managing Personal Hacking: Principles, Issues & Strategies, Identity Theft
Data, The Business and Social Sectors,
and Credit Card Fraud, Whose Laws Rule the Web?
Government Systems, Protecting Privacy
Freedom of Speech
Communications Paradigms, Controlling Speech, MID TERM EXAMINATION
Posting, Selling, and Leaking Sensitive Material,
Anonymity, The Global Net: Censorship and
Political Freedom, Net Neutrality Regulations
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Week Wise Course Overview…
Work Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
Changes, Fears, and Questions, Impacts on What Is “Professional Ethics”, Ethical Guidelines for
Employment, Employee Communication and Computer Professionals, Scenarios
Monitoring
The Software Engineering Code and The
Evaluating and Controlling Technology
ACM Code
Evaluating Information, The “Digital Divide” , Neo-
Luddite Views of Computers, Technology, and
Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional
Quality of Life, Making Decisions About Practice, ACM Code of Ethics and Professional
Technology Conduct
Errors, Failures, And Risks Semester Project Presentation
Failures and Errors in Computer Systems, Case
Study: The Therac-25, Increasing Reliability and
Safety, Dependence, Risk, and Progress FINAL TERM EXAMINATION
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Reference Material
1. A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing Technology by
Sara Baase, 4th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc., ISBN 10: 0-13-249267-9, ISBN
13: 978-0-13-249267-6
2. Professional Issues in Information Technology by Frank Bott. The British
Computer Society, ISBN 1-902505-65-4
3. Several Research articles.
4. Lecture handouts & slides.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Text Book
A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and
Ethical Issues for Computing
Technology
by Sara Baase,
4th Edition, Pearson Education, Inc.,
ISBN 10: 0-13-249267-9, ISBN 13:
978-0-13-249267-6
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Lesson 1
Introduction to Professions
and Professional Practices
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science 6
University of Buner
Lesson Plan
Occupation and its types
Professions & Professional Practice
Characteristics of a profession
Computing Sciences Professions
Issues in Computer Sciences Professions
Ethics & Variety of Ethical Views
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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What is an Occupation?
Occupation is a person's usual or principal work or business,
especially as a means of earning a living.
Thus, occupation means keeping oneself engaged or occupied in
some gainful economic activity on a regular basis to earn one’s
livelihood.
For example, doctors treat patients, lawyers provide legal services,
workers work in offices and factories, teachers teach in schools
and colleges and shopkeepers buy and sell goods to earn their
livelihood.
Occupations may be classified into three broad categories.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Types of Occupation
Profession
Profession refers to an occupation, which requires specialized knowledge and training
to pursue it.
We require services of others who are specialized in doing certain jobs.
Employment
Employment refers to an occupation in which a person works regularly for others and
get wage/salary in return.
An employee gets his wage or salary at regular intervals.
Business
Business refers to an occupation in which goods and services are produced, sold and
exchanged in return for money.
It is carried out on a regular basis with the prime objective of making profit.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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What is a Profession?
Profession refers to an occupation, which requires specialized knowledge
and training to pursue it.
Professions that exhibit certain characteristics are called strongly
differentiated professions.
The defining characteristics of a strongly differentiated profession are:
Specialized knowledge and skills,
A professional association
Systematic research,
A well-defined social good
Professional autonomy,
Computing professionals include hardware designers, software engineers,
database administrators, system analysts, and computer scientists.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Professional Practice
Professional practice is the use of one's knowledge in a particular
profession.
It includes, in the case of the field of biomedicine, professional
activities related to health care and the actual performance of the
duties.
Professional practice is the way an individual behaves in the
workplace following ethical guidelines and codes of conduct.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Characteristics of a profession
Specialized knowledge
Every profession requires specialized knowledge to be acquired through
training.
This knowledge cannot be inherited.
Members of a strongly differentiated profession have specialized knowledge
and skills, often called a ‘‘body of knowledge,’’ gained through formal
education and practical experience.
An educational program in a professional school teaches students the
theoretical basis of a profession.
Because professional work has a significant intellectual component, entry
into a profession often requires a baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate
degree.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Characteristics of a profession…
Service motive
The primary objective of every profession is to provide service.
The professionals get some remuneration for providing such services.
Regulated by professional body
A professional body regulates every profession. E. g., Institute of Chartered
Accountants, Bar Council and Medical Council are the professional bodies.
Because professionals have specialized knowledge, clients cannot fully
evaluate the quality of services provided by professionals.
Only other members of a profession, the professional’s peers, can sufficiently
determine the quality of professional work.
The principle of peer review underlies accreditation and licensing activities.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Characteristics of a profession…
Code of Conduct
Professionals have a code of conduct developed by the concerned professional body.
This is to be followed strictly by each professional to ensures uniformity in working
of all the professionals.
The creation of a code of ethics is one mark of the transformation of an occupation
into a profession.
Systematic Research
Professionals value the expansion of knowledge through systematic research.
Research in a profession is conducted by its academic members and sometimes by
practitioner members too.
Because professionals understand that professional knowledge always advances,
professionals should also engage in continuing education.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Computing Sciences Professions
Do computing professions measure up to these criteria for a strongly differentiated
profession?
YES
To become a computing professional, an individual must acquire specialized
knowledge about discrete algorithms and relational database theory and specialized
skills such as software development techniques and digital system design.
Computing professionals usually learn this knowledge and acquire these skills by
earning a baccalaureate degree in computer science, computer engineering,
information systems, or a related field.
The knowledge base for computing expands through research in computer science
conducted in universities and in industrial and government laboratories.
The obligations of computing professionals to clients, employers, and the public are
expressed in several codes of ethics.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Computing Sciences Professions
Do computing professions measure up to these criteria for a strongly differentiated
profession?
NO
Unlike academic programs in engineering, relatively few academic programs in
computing are accredited.
Computing professionals cannot be licensed, except that software engineers can be
licensed in some countries.
Multiple distinct professional bodies exist, including the ACM, IEEE-CS, and the
Association of Information Technology Professionals (AIPT).
Although these organizations cooperate on some projects, they remain largely
distinct, with separate publications and codes of ethics.
Regardless of whether computing professions are strongly differentiated, computing
professionals have important ethical obligations.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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What is an Occupation?
What is a Profession?
What are major characteristics of a profession?
Computing Sciences professions are professions or
not?
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Issues in Computer Sciences Professions
Telephones, automobiles, airplanes, radio, household electrical appliances,
and many other marvels we take for granted today.
Smartphones, AI, EVs, smart homes, and streaming services are now
everyday essentials.
They’ve changed how we work, communicate, access information, and
manage daily life.
Over 6.8 billion people use smartphones; Meta platforms have 3+ billion
users. Internet data exceeds 120 zettabytes annually.
Tech evolves rapidly—so do its social impacts, from privacy concerns to
misinformation and AI ethics.
Current issues include digital addiction, surveillance, algorithmic bias, and
cybersecurity threats.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Issues in Computer Sciences
Professions…
Connections: Cellphones, Social Networking, and More
The Web, social networking, cellphones, and other electronic devices keep us
connected to other people and to information all day, virtually everywhere.
Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, and phones got ‘smart’ and hundreds of
thousands of applications (Apps) developed.
The number and variety of unanticipated applications of relatively new “connection”
device also suggest problems.
Privacy invasion by data theft and location tracking.
Whether phone service should be shut down during riots.
Is the security of smartphones sufficient for banking and electronic wallets?
What if you lose your phone?
Do people realize that when they synch their phone with other devices, their files become
vulnerable at the level of the weakest security?
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Issues in Computer Sciences
Professions…
Connections: Cellphones, Social Networking, and More
Few people realized that Apple’s iPhones already had a kill switch—a way
for Apple to remotely delete apps from phones.
Companies do not disclose much information about kill switches.
What if malicious hackers found a way to operate the kill switches on our
devices?
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Issues in Computer Sciences
Professions…
E-commerce and Free Stuff
The Web changed from a mostly academic community to a world market in little
more than a decade.
Benefits of e-commerce are fairly obvious:
We can consider more products and sellers, some far away, in less time.
Auction sites gave people access to customers they could not have found efficiently before.
Growth of commerce on the Web required solutions to several problems.
People were reluctant to give their credit card numbers on the Web to companies
due to trust issues.
Enter PayPal, a company built on the idea of having some trusted intermediary
handle payments.
Encryption and secure servers also made payments safer.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Issues in Computer Sciences
Professions…
E-commerce and Free Stuff…
Free stuff Libraries have provided free access to books, newspapers, and journals.
For our computers, we can get free email programs and email accounts,
browsers, filters, firewalls, encryption software, word processors, spreadsheets,
software for viewing documents, software to manipulate photos and video,
antivirus software and software for many other specialized purposes.
Craigslist, the classified ad site, one of the most popular websites in the world, is
free to people who place ads and people who read them.
Major (expensive) universities such as Stanford, Yale, and MIT provide video of
lectures, lecture notes, and exams on the Web for free.
However, many free sites collect information about our online activities and sell
it to advertisers. This tracking is often not obvious.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Issues in Computer Sciences
Professions…
Artificial Intelligence & Robots
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that makes computers perform
tasks we normally (or used to) think of as requiring human intelligence.
It includes playing complex strategy games such as chess, language translation, making
decisions based on large amounts of data, and understanding speech.
People continue to debate the philosophical nature and social implications of artificial
intelligence.
Philosopher John Searle argues that computers do not think; they manipulate symbols.
They do not understand; they simulate understanding.
How will we react when we can go into a hospital for surgery performed entirely by a
machine?
How will we react when chips implanted in our brains enhance our memory with
gigabytes of data and a search engine?
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Issues in Computer Sciences
Professions…
Artificial Intelligence & Robots…
Robots are mechanical devices that perform physical tasks traditionally
done by humans or tasks that we think of as human-like activities.
Computer software with artificial intelligence controls most robotic devices
now.
One goal is to develop robots that can act intelligently and perform a
variety of operations to assist people.
For several years, Sony sold a robot pet dog, Aibo.
Is an emotional connection with a machine dehumanizing, or is it an
improvement.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Issues in Computer Sciences
Professions…
Tools for Disabled People
One of the most heartwarming applications of computer technology is the
restoration of abilities, productivity, and independence to people with
physical disabilities.
using ordinary computer applications that other people use, such as web browsers
to control household and workplace appliances that most of us operate by hand
For people who are blind, computers equipped with speech synthesizers
read aloud what a sighted person sees on the screen.
Prosthetic devices, such as artificial arms and legs, have improved from
heavy, “dumb” wood, to lighter materials digitally controlled devices.
The impact of all these devices on the morale of the user is immense.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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An Ethical Dilemma
A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the
other not. Only one child played on the unused track, the rest on the operational
track. A train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make
the train change its course to the unused track and save most of the kids. However,
that would also mean the lone child playing by the unused track would be sacrificed.
Or would you rather let the train go its way?
What
Most people might choose to divert thewill youofdo?
course the train, and sacrifice only one child.
Save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most
people would make, morally and emotionally.
But, have you ever thought that the child chose to play on the unused track had in fact
made the right decision to play at a safe place? Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed
because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.
This kind of dilemma happens around us every day.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Ethics
Ethics is the study of what it means to “do the right thing.”
Ethical theory assumes that people are rational and make free choices and
this is reasonably assumed as the basis of ethical theory.
Ethical rules are rules to follow in our interactions with other people and in
our actions that affect other people.
Most ethical theories attempt to achieve the same goal: to enhance
human dignity, peace, happiness, and well-being.
Ethical rules apply to all of us and are intended to achieve good results for
people in general.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Ethics…
In a professional context, doing good ethically often corresponds closely
with doing a good job in the sense of professional quality and competence.
Doing good ethically often corresponds closely with good business in the
sense that ethically developed products and ethical policies are more likely
to please consumers.
However, doing the right thing takes courage in situations where we could
suffer negative consequences.
Courage is often associated with heroic acts, where one risks one’s life to
save someone in a dangerous situation.
Most of us do not have those opportunities to display courage, but we do
have many opportunities in day-to-day life.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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A Variety of Ethical Views
Although there is much agreement about general ethical rules,
there are many different theories about:
how to establish a firm justification for the rules, and
how to decide what is ethical in specific cases
Two distinctions between ethical theories:
Deontological or Non-Consequentialist Theories
Consequentialist Theories
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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A Variety of Ethical Views
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is the main example of a consequentialist theory.
Its guiding principle, as expressed by John Stuart Mill, is to increase
happiness, or “utility.”
A person’s utility is what satisfies the person’s needs and values.
An action might decrease utility for some people and increase it for others.
We should consider the consequences.
Right if it tends to increase aggregate utility
Wrong if it tends to decrease it.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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A Variety of Ethical Views…
Natural rights
One approach we might follow is to let people make their own decisions.
We try to define a sphere of freedom in which people can act freely
according to their own judgment.
This approach views ethical behavior as acting in such a way that respects
a set of fundamental rights of others.
These rights are sometimes called natural rights because, in the opinion of
some philosophers, they come from nature.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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A Variety of Ethical Views…
Golden rules
The holy books, specifically the Quran tell us to treat others as we would
want them to treat us.
This is a valuable ethical guideline.
It tells us to consider an ethical choice we are making from the perspective
of the people it affects.
We want people to recognize us as individuals and to respect our choices.
Thus, we should respect theirs.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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A Variety of Ethical Views…
Some Important Distinctions
A number of important distinctions affect our ethical judgments.
Right, wrong, and okay:
In situations with ethical dilemmas, there are often many options that are ethically
acceptable.
Thus, it is misleading to divide all acts into two categories, ethically right and
ethically wrong.
Rather, it is better to think of acts as either ethically obligatory, ethically prohibited,
or ethically acceptable.
Many actions might be virtuous and desirable but not obligatory.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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A Variety of Ethical Views…
Some Important Distinctions…
Distinguishing wrong and harm:
Carelessly and needlessly causing harm is wrong, but harm alone is not a sufficient
criterion to determine that an act is unethical.
Many ethical, even admirable acts can make other people worse off.
‘You may accept a job offer knowing someone else wanted the job and needed it
more than you do.’
‘You may reduce the income of other people by producing a better product that
consumers prefer.’
Yet there is nothing wrong with doing honest, productive work.
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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Law and Ethics
Is it ethical for the government or a state university to give preference in
contracts, hiring, or admissions to people in specific ethnic groups?
Is it ethical for a bank loan officer to carry customer records on a laptop to
work at the beach?
The current law, whatever it happens to be at a particular time, does not
answer these questions.
Ethics precedes law in the sense that ethical principles help determine
whether or not we should pass specific laws.
Some laws enforce ethical rules (e.g., against murder and theft).
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
University of Buner
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What are some major issues associated with
Computing Science?
What is Ethics?
What are different Ethical views?
What is the association between Ethics and Laws?
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Dr. Sabir Shah
•Academic Background
• BS Computer Science – IBMS, University of Agriculture, Peshawar
• MS Computer Science – SZABIST, Islamabad
• Ph.D. in Computer Science – International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI)
• Certifications
• Microsoft (MCITP/MCTS)
•Professional Experience
• More than 10 years of teaching experience in higher education
• Supervised MS/MPhil students across various research domains
• Supervised BS Projects
•Research Interests
• Primary focus on Information Security, Cryptography, Blockchain Technology. Artificail
Intelligence
• More than 10 Research Articles
Any
Questions??
Sabir Shah, Lecturer Department of Computer Science
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University of Buner