Prof. Brian Levine
UMass Amherst
Computer Science
Engineering Lab II, Room 119
In this meeting, we'll discuss two aspects of security and privacy.
First, we'll discuss the ethics of computer security and privacy. A critical part of being a computer science student is thinking deeply about certain ethical issues and acting responsibly. You will face some of these issues by being responsible for designing or deploying large computer systems that will, for example, manage the personal information of others. But other ethics issues in CS will come from being a member of this educational community, as an employee of company, as a citizen of this country, or as a person of the world. Prof. Brian Levine is going to discuss various ethical scenarios related to security and privacy that you are likely to encounter in these contexts.
Second, we will expose you to recent research in security and privacy being conducted in the department. Prof. Amir Houmansadr is going to discuss the state-of-the-art research on building computer systems that help with free circulation of information and ideas on the Internet. Repressive regimes and totalitarian governments censor their citizens' access to the Internet, for example, by blocking access to certain social media websites. We will introduce computer systems that will help dissidents and ordinary citizens bypass such censorship.