ICS 131: Social Analysis of Computerization

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ICS 131 Social Analysis of Computerization

• Lecture 15
• Privacy

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Quick Reminder

• From the syllabus
• Please turn off all cell phones/pagers/etc.
  before the beginning of each class. Please do not
  use notebook computers during class for any
  purpose not directly relating to this class.
  Please do not instant message or check email
  during class.

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Notes on Grading Review Policy

• As sometimes there are cases where people feel
  that papers have been misgraded, you are welcome
  to bring them to the TA or to me so that we can
  take a look.
• Its like the NFL instant replay review system.
  Unless there is obvious evidence that an error
  has been made, the call made on the field stands.
• The entire exam will be regraded, including both
  positive and negative corrections.
• Grades become final two weeks after they are
  returned to you.

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Credit Reports

• Did anyone request one?

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Key Ideas

• Technology creates additional personal content
  that one might wish to keep private, creates
  additional ways to keep information private, and
  creates additional ways for other people to
  invade ones privacy.

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What things might a person want to keep private?

• Age
• Ethnicity
• Income
• Relationships
• Writing
• Others?
• Why?

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Technologically-created things one might want to
keep private

• Files
• Email
• Data on personal habits
• Others?
• Why?

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Historical ways that people have kept things
private

• Locks
• Not writing it down
• Secretaries
• Codes
• Hiding places
• Laws
• Social Rules
• Others?

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Technological ways to keep things private

• Passwords (historical too)
• Cryptography
• Withholding source code
• Others?

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Historical ways to invade a persons privacy

• Search their house
• Interrogate them
• Go through their trash
• Look through their documents
• Junk mail
• Door-to-door solicitation
• Others?

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Technological ways to invade a persons privacy

• Hack into their computer
• Sniff their packets
• Data mining
• Spam

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Data Mining

• What things can they gather about you?
• Who are they?
• What good can they do you?
• What harm can they do you?

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People give up personal data for relatively
little return

• How many people have one of those supermarket
  discount cards?
• Raise your hand if youd give someone your
  address for free. 1. 10. 20. 100.
• How much is your other information worth?

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Beatriz da Costa - Swipe

• Information from drivers license
• Data calculator

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What is the value of

• The data you have given away in the last week?

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Kyllo vs. United States

• In an important declaration of the
  constitutional limits on new privacy-threatening
  technology, the Supreme Court ruled today that
  the use by the police of a thermal imaging device
  to detect patterns of heat coming from a private
  home is a search that requires a warrant. -Linda
  Greenhouse, NYTimes, 6/12/01
• "reasonable expectation of privacy - 4th
  amendment test
• devices that are "not in general public use"

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News article yesterday 2/22/06

• Personal Data of 26.5M Veterans Stolen
• By HOPE YEN (AP)
• Personal data, including Social Security numbers
  of 26.5 million U.S. veterans, was stolen from a
  Veterans Affairs employee this month after he
  took the information home without authorization,
  the department said Monday.

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A Challenge

• Pick someone famous.
• Without breaking the law, how much can we find
  out about them?
• Enlist the aid of everyone with laptops.
• If you dont have a laptop, please discuss how
  youd find out information about someone, while
  your classmates with laptops work.
• 5 minutes

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Front Screen

• What happened up on screen?

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Etherpeg

• What is it?
• Who had heard of it?

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Etherpeg

• Demoing Etherpeg in class (and next time I teach
  this class)
• Questions
• Should I use Etherpeg without announcing it
  first?
• If something inappropriate appeared, who is at
  fault, and who could potentially be considered to
  be at fault?
• What advance steps did I take (and could I take)
  to protect myself without ruining the surprise?

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Results

• What did we find on our famous person?

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Discussion for the Day

• There has been quite a bit of discussion in the
  news about warrantless surveillance activities by
  the Bush administration.
• If there were a technology by which any person
  could listen in undetectably to any other
  persons phone conversation, what privacy issues
  would arise? Should it be legal for everyone to
  use? Should it be legal for governmental use?
  (You may be asked to defend either side of the
  last two questions.)
• Discuss for 5 minutes.

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To discuss the topic of the day, please welcome...

• come on
• down front!

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P.S. Wired Magazine

• Wired News yesterday released the complete text
  of a set of documents from the EFF's primary
  witness in the case.
• http//www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70947-0.htm
  l?twwn_technology_1

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Next class

• Second paper drafts due.