Course Syllabus

January 22: Introduction

  • Setting context: what is privacy?;
  • Is privacy a fundamental human right?; and
  • A brief overview of Internet architecture.

Readings: None.

 

January 28: Web protocols, cookies, methods of tracking, packet-tracing demo. 

  • How are we identified?; and
  • Tracking users: packet tracing, ads.

Readings:

 

Assignment: View the film The Lives of Others or read Timothy Garton Ash’s The File. Write a three-page briefing document (maximum 1500 words) for an EU data privacy commissioner describing how modern communications technologies change the abilities to conduct the type of surveillance shown in The Lives of Others or The File. If you do not know how to write a briefing document, see Eoin Young and Lisa Quinn, The Policy Brief. Your paper in hard copy is due at the beginning of class; please also send me an electronic version. The paper is due at the beginning of class on January 28.  Important note: Most briefing documents do not contain citations. This is an academic course, and I am asking you to include this information. Please place the citations at the end of the paper; citations are not included the word count.

 

 

February 4: The development of legal protections for privacy

  • Law, regulation, and limitations.

 

Readings:

Lab: This lab will examine cookies, including ability to delete, how quickly they reappear, and use, impact of using a cookie blocker. To be completed by class on February 4.

 

February 11: Communications interception: what the law says

Readings:

Lab: We're watching you; exploring the records at Tufts. To be completed by class on February 11.

 

February 20:  Searching metadata; searching electronic devices

  • The law, practice, and value of such searches;
  • The special case of location information; and
  • The changing evidentiary value of mobile devices.

Readings:

 

February 25: Surveillance Technologies and the Government

  • CCTV, IoT, and drones;
  • Other forms of government surveillance.

Readings:

Lab: Pulling data off phone apps to reconstruct user activity. To be completed by class on February 25.

 

March 4: Online Social Networks, apps, and data

  • What they can learn;
  • How they can use it;
  • Privacy v. usability.

Readings:

Lab: Managing privacy protections. To be completed by class on March 4.

 

March 11: Where in the World: what happens when data can be stored anywhere

  • Architectures;
  • MLAT;
  • CLOUD Act;
  • Right to be Forgotten.

Readings:

 

March 25:  Privacy tools: cryptography

  • How cryptography works (private- and public-key cryptography, forward secrecy);
  • The Crypto Wars.

Readings:

 

 

April 1:  Privacy tools: Tor, Signal, WhatsApp, k-anonymity, differential privacy.   

Readings:

  • About Tor.
  • Charlie Cabot, An Introduction to Differential Privacy, January 22, 2017. Note: this article assumes more mathematics background than some of you will have. Please try to read the full article. Take your time reading. It’s okay if you don’t understand the entire article, but nonetheless persevere and read to the end.

Lab: Investigate some privacy tools (Brave, Signal). To be completed by class on April 1.

Assignment: The Secretary of State of Country X is considering funding a project supporting development of the Tor browser (www.torproject.org). The Ministry of Justice opposes such a move, but the UN and various human rights organizations are strongly in favor. Install a Tor browser and use it for at least half your browsing during the week. Write a policy brief (1500 words maximum) for a senior official in the Ministry of State describing the tradeoffs in using a Tor browser versus using a standard browser. Discuss which types of users interesting to State will be likely to use Tor. Make a recommendation whether the ministry should fund Tor's development and why that would or would not be in the nation's interest. Reminder: Make clear at the beginning of the document which nation you are focusing on. As with the previous paper, include citations; these are not part of the word count. Important note: Most briefing documents do not contain citations. This is an academic course, and I am asking you to include this information. Please place the citations at the end of the paper; citations are not included the word count.

 

April 8: Big Data, Re-identification, and Anonymity

Readings:

 

 

April 22:  Identity

  • Biometrics;
  • Identity management; and
  • other forms of online identity.

Readings:

 

April 29:  Student presentations

Course Summary:

Date Details Due