Logistics
- Professor
- Steven M. Bellovin and Alex Abdo
- Time
- Monday 18:20–20:10
- Room
- 480 Computer Science Building
- Office Hours
-
- Bellovin
- See the web site
- Abdo
- By appointment; please email.
Summary
The First and Fourth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution—which guarantee free speech and prohibit unreasonable governmental invasions of privacy—have seen a curious effect from the Internet and related technologies. On the one hand, the Internet has created “the most participatory marketplace of mass speech that this country—and indeed the world—has yet seen”, and it has enabled new forms of secure communication. On the other, it has created unprecedented opportunities for surveillance and corporate control.This seminar will bring together professors and select students from the law school and computer science to discuss these issues. Classes will cover both the technical and legal aspects of free speech, anonymity and privacy in today's online world. No prior technical background (for law students) or legal background (for CS students) is assumed; both groups, however, will be expected to learn something of the other's field.
Readings
As assigned, per lecture.Prerequisites
For CS students, permission of the instructor.Grading
Grading will be based on several components:- A series of in-class debates by mixed CS/law teams. Each student is expected to be on one team; most teams will consist of two people.
- A group project, by mixed teams. Project “deliverables” are a scoping paper, a substantial final paper, and a presentation to the class of the paper. The final paper should be an integrated whole, not simply a law paper stapled together with a computer science paper, and should come to firm conclusions.
- Each student will also submit a short paper summarizing their intended contributions to the project.
