# CS 858 / SOC 701: Surveillance and Privacy

**Source**: https://crysp.uwaterloo.ca/courses/survpriv/F20/
**Parent**: https://crysp.uwaterloo.ca/courses/

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instructors | [Ian Goldberg](https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/%7Eiang/) | [Jennifer Whitson](https://jenniferwhitson.com/) |
| E-mail | [iang@uwaterloo.ca](mailto:iang@uwaterloo.ca) | [jwhitson@uwaterloo.ca](mailto:jwhitson@uwaterloo.ca) |
| Seminar times | MW 10:00–11:50 am |
| Virtual Drop-In Hours | Thursdays, 10:00–11:00 am, or by appointment | |

## [Suggested Reading List](https://crysp.uwaterloo.ca/courses/survpriv/F20/readinglist.html)

## Students only:

## [Course LEARN site](https://learn.uwaterloo.ca/d2l/home/577669)

## [Schedule for paper and project presentations](https://learn.uwaterloo.ca/d2l/le/content/577669/viewContent/3091015/View)

## [Discussion Forum](https://piazza.com/uwaterloo.ca/fall2020/cs858soc701)

## [Paper selection preferences](https://thunk.cs.uwaterloo.ca/survpriv-f20/prefs/)

## [Paper reviews](https://thunk.cs.uwaterloo.ca/survpriv-f20/papers/)

## Overview

This interfaculty graduate seminar explores how surveillance
technologies contribute to social inequality, both in Canada and
globally. It examines current research into technologies that help
users maintain their privacy, both online and in the physical world.
Seminar readings, discussions, and projects demonstrate how
successful interventions into privacy violations, censorship, and
digital discrimination are interdisciplinary, and rely on the
intersection of technology, policy, law, and critical theory.

## Course Description

This synchronous seminar will take place within the BigBlueButton
(BBB) web conferencing server [a link to the online seminar room can
be found on [LEARN](https://learn.uwaterloo.ca/d2l/home/577669)]. The seminar will primarily consist of
reading, reviewing, and presenting research papers. There will be
two papers assigned to each class period, selected from the
following topics:

- PETs for the Internet
- Theories of Surveillance
- Why Privacy
- Eyes and Ears Everywhere: Everyday Surveillance
- Surveillance, Censorship, and the State
- Defences and Resistance to Surveillance
- Adoption and Non-adoption of Privacy Enhancing Technologies

All students are to have read both of the papers before the
class, and to have [submitted a review](https://thunk.cs.uwaterloo.ca/survpriv-f20/papers/) for one of them (of the
student's choice) by 9:00 am on the day of the lecture. Each paper
will be presented to the class by one student, in a 25-minute
conference-style presentation. The student presenting the paper
will then lead the class in a discussion of the paper, taking 55
minutes for the presentation and discussion in total for each
paper. Students should follow the [presentation checklist](https://crysp.uwaterloo.ca/courses/survpriv/F20/presentation_checklist.pdf) when
creating their presentations.

Students may choose to present live in the BBB room, or they may
pre-record their presentations to be played back in the BBB room
during their allotted time. To accommodate those students who may
not be able to participate synchronously, all seminar presentations
will be recorded and made available via LEARN for the following 14
days.

There are discussion forums for each of the five modules with
student presentations. The forums are moderated by the instructors
and are sites where you are encouraged to continue course
discussions, link to current events, and discuss exemplar
interdisciplinary projects, as well as find collaborators for your
own terms project. As part of their participation mark, all students
are expected to make meaningful contributions to each of the five
forums.

Note that all times for this course are specified in Eastern Time
(the timezone of Waterloo and Toronto).

## Projects

Students will work in interfaculty groups of 2–4 on an
original research project on a topic related to surveillance and
privacy. Each group will submit a proposal and the optional team
charter to the instructor no later than **19 Oct at noon**.
Students are strongly encouraged to produce and submit an artifact
in the form of software, video submission, website or other media,
generating inspiration from the projects linked to in the course
readings. Near the end of term, groups will present their work to
the class in a 30-minute (including five minutes for questions)
conference-style presentation. In addition, by **7 Dec at 11:59
pm** they will produce a workshop-quality paper, 10–15 pages
in length (approximately 8,000–12,000 words), describing their
artifact and project. A completed submission checklist should be
submitted with the final project.

## Grading

Grades for this seminar will be calculated as follows:

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| 15% | Paper presentations |
| 15% | Reviews of papers |
| 15% | Class participation |
| 5% | Forum participation |
| 50% | Project |

To provide some workload flexibility, only your top 15 paper
reviews and 15 class contributions will count towards your final
grade.

Grades will be available after the end of term through
LEARN.

The instructors reserve the right to alter your final project
grade to reflect your contributions, as per your submitted group
contracts.

## Asynchronous Accommodations

If you cannot attend synchronous class sessions, please let us
know in advance and we will provide an opportunity for you to shift
the weighting of your class participation mark towards forum
participation. All seminar sessions will be recorded and linked on
LEARN for a period of 14 days. All other grade components will
remain unchanged.

## Academic Integrity

Note that students are not generally permitted to submit the same
work for credit in multiple classes. For example, if a student
has reviewed or presented one of the papers in another seminar
class, he or she should avoid reviewing or presenting it again for
this class.

The general university policy:

- **Academic Integrity**:
  In order to maintain a culture of academic
  integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected
  to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
  Check the [Office of
  Academic Integrity's website](https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/) for more information.

  All members of the UW community are expected to hold to the highest standard
  of academic integrity in their studies, teaching, and research.
  This site explains why academic integrity is important and how students
  can avoid academic misconduct. It also identifies resources available on
  campus for students and faculty to help achieve academic integrity in — and
  out — of the classroom.
- **Grievance**:
  A student who believes that a decision affecting some
  aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may
  have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read
  [Policy 70 — Student Petitions and Grievances](https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-70), Section 4.
  When in doubt please be certain to contact the department's administrative
  assistant who will provide further assistance.
- **Discipline**:
  A student is expected to know what constitutes academic
  integrity, to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take
  responsibility for his/her actions. Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.
  A student who is unsure whether an
  action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to
  avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about "rules" for group
  work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor,
  academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. For information on
  categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to
  [Policy 71 — Student Discipline](https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-71). For typical penalties, check
  [Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties](https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/guidelines/guidelines-assessment-penalties).
- **Avoiding Academic Offenses**:
  Most students are unaware of the line between acceptable and
  unacceptable academic behaviour, especially when discussing assignments
  with classmates and using the work of other students. For information
  on commonly misunderstood academic offenses and how to avoid them,
  students should refer to
  the [Office of Academic Integrity's site on Academic Misconduct](https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/academic-misconduct) and
  the
  [Faculty
  of Mathematics Cheating and Student Academic Discipline Policy](https://uwaterloo.ca/math/current-undergraduates/regulations-and-procedures/cheating-and-student-academic-discipline-guidelines).
- **Appeals**:
  A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions
  and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student
  Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who
  believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to [Policy
  72, Student Appeals](https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-72).

## Note for Students with Disabilities

[AccessAbility
Services](https://uwaterloo.ca/accessability-services/), located in Needles Hall, Room 1401,
collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate
accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the
academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations
to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AccessAbility at the
beginning of each academic term.

## Coronavirus Information and Resources

- [Library COVID-19: Updates on library services and operations](https://uwaterloo.ca/library/covid-19-updates-library-services-and-operations)
- [Coronavirus Information for Students](https://uwaterloo.ca/coronavirus/academic-information)
  This resource provides updated information on COVID-19 and guidance for accommodations due to COVID-19.

## Mental Health Support

All of us need a support system. We encourage you to seek out
mental health supports when they are needed. Please reach out to [Campus
Wellness and Counselling Services](https://uwaterloo.ca/campus-wellness/counselling-services).

We understand that these circumstances can be troubling, and you
may need to speak with someone for emotional support. [Good2Talk](https://uwaterloo.ca/campus-wellness/services/good2talk) is
a post-secondary student helpline based in Ontario, Canada that is
available to all students.

## Territorial Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory
of the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee
peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand
Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten
kilometres on each side of the Grand River.