Overview 

Everything we do online leaves a trace. Whether it’s a log stored by a web service, or a record of a phone call with a friend. In recent decades, the value of data and metadata has given rise to an entire economy. Billions of people use “free” services on the Internet without putting much thought into why those services do not charge for use. Our lives are our data. And our metadata – data about our data – is like a window directly into our lives. With enough metadata, of which there is a lot, someone can know nearly everything about us. 

As designers of the next generations of systems, we must 1) understand the protocols and systems that we use in order to identify data leaks; and 2) build privacy technologies – sometimes spanning multiple network layers – to address the leakage built into common technologies we use today. 

Prior coursework in networking and operating systems or consent of the instructor. 

This is a course designed for students who have an interest in academic research as well as students who seek to develop creative systems problem-solving skills that are necessary for the next generation of engineers and developers. We will take a tour of a variety of contemporary research topics, with an eye towards not only learning something about the individual topics, but also dissecting what makes for successful solutions. Networked systems privacy and security is quite broad, which is one of its appeals – privacy/security issues arise in any area, and privacy/security is difficult. 

For questions, please email Paul at pschmitt@hawaii.edu