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CyberCivics August 18, 2008. What is CyberCivics?. Study of contemporary social and political issues that grow out of computer-science related technologies Examples : Privacy of digital communications, electronic voting, data mining, digital surveillance, digital rights management, and more
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What is CyberCivics? • Study of contemporary social and political issues that grow out of computer-science related technologies • Examples: Privacy of digital communications, electronic voting, data mining, digital surveillance, digital rights management, and more • Being an engaged citizen of the modern world requires an understanding of computing technologies
Evaluate proposed uses of technology • Citizens must consider proposed uses of technology • Should we replace paper ballots with electronic voting systems? • Should we have a national identification card? Should it have an RFID tag? • Should public records be available online? • Should emails be admissible evidence in court? • Difficult to weigh the issues without understanding the technologies themselves, right?
Watch for impact of technology on our rights • Citizens should know how technology impacts their traditional rights • Examples? • Do we have a right to sell our copy of a movie if we no longer want it? • Do we have a right to know when our files/emails are searched? If they are stored in our home? at our Internet service provider? • Do we have a right to understand/investigate the process through which our votes are counted?
Shape our society for the better • Citizens need to advocate for regulations that control misuse of technology • Do we want a world where • Where companies track and sell private information about individuals? • Someone’s web browsing and media consumption habits are linked to their credit report? • Where people’s location is tracked at all times? • Technology easily enable these abuses • Do companies or the government have vested interest in preventing them?
CyberCivics = Contemporary Issues + Hands-on Computer Science • Curricula that discusses contemporary issues and engages students in hands-on activities that help them better understand emerging technologies • Computer networking • Programming • Databases • Dual benefits • Be a more informed citizen • Gain skills that prepare them for high-tech careers
Institute Overview • Day 1: Overview of CyberCivics, Network Security and Privacy • Day 2: Database Privacy • Day 3: RFID and Surveillance • Day 4: Electronic Voting • Day 5: Computer Science Careers, Lesson Planning and Tools Overview
Activities • Network tracing and analysis • Wireless network configuration • Writing database queries • Writing simple computer programs • Analyzing a “hacked” computer program for vulnerabilities • Along the way • Discussions, readings, films, useful web sites, useful tools
Deliverables • Each day, you take notes about what you think would work in your classroom • Turn in notes and 1 page comments days 2-5 • Write a “citizen’s response” • What will you take away personally as a citizen? • Day 5 • In teams write plan for lesson segment including a hands-on computer science activity • Give 10 minute demonstration of your lesson segment
Two Activities to Highlight Two Pieces of CyberCivics • Headline search • Fake Email
Headlines Veterans Administration Loses Data on 1.8 million -- Consumer Affairs, 2/13/07 Sony BMG Hacking into CD Buyers’ Computers -- FOX News, 11/3/05 Audit Finds Many Faults in Cleveland’s ’06 Voting -- NY Times, 4/20/07 Machines Record Votes Inaccurately in Tests -- Dayton Daily News, 3/20/07 Experts: Wi-Fi Eavesdropping Persists… -- Boston Globe, 8/7/07
Protocol • If two people are going to communicate, they must agree on a language • Protocol = language defining the expected order and meaning of messages they exchange. • Hi …Hi…Got the time?….two oclock SUCCESSFUL EXCHANGE • Hi…Don’t bother meXX ABORTED Allo…Hello..Quelle heuere a’til …..XX<blank stare> MISMATCH
Layered Architectures • Human beings are able to handle lots of complexity in their language processing. • Ambiguously defined • Many interactions all at once • How do computers manage complex protocol processing? • Specify well defined protocols to enact. • Decompose complicated jobs into layers that each have a well defined task
Layered Architectures • Break-up big job into smaller, more manageable jobs. • Different entity does each job
Physical Mail CEO X Lunch? CEO Y Assistant X Assistant Y Schedule? Important Note? Secretary X Secretary Y Internal mail info Mailroom X Mailroom Y External mail info Post Office X Post Office Y
Physical Mail CEO X CEO Y “Lunch?” Assistant X Assistant Y “Lunch?” Secretary X Secretary Y “Lunch?” Mailroom X Mailroom Y “Lunch?” Post office X Post office Y “Lunch?”
Layered Architectures • Break-up big job into smaller, more manageable jobs. • Different entity does each job
Computer Networking user X English (?) user Y Web browser Web server HTTP TCP server TCP server TCP IP server IP IP server IEEE 802.3 standard ethernet driver/card ethernet driver/card electric signals
Computer Networking user X, wants page user Y, posted page Get page Web browser Web server Get page TCP server TCP server Get page IP server IP server Get page ethernet driver/card ethernet driver/card Get page
First Look At Wireshark • Capturing • Get a web page • Look At One Package • Look At One Conversation
One more complication CEO A CEO B Assistant Assistant Secretary Secretary Post office Post office Mailroom Mailroom in out in out incoming outgoing
Computer Networking Host A Host B Router R Router W HTTP HTTP TCP TCP IP IP IP IP ethernet link link ethernet ethernet ethernet
Another Look At Wireshark • http vs https • Pop
Trace Your Own • Rules for tracing • Answer questions • Discussion of privacy concerns
Know your network neighborhood • Hubs vs Switchs • Do you trust the administrator?
Day 1: Overview and Networks • Overview of CyberCivics • Hands-on exercises with open source network protocol analysis software • Hands-on exercises illustrating the weaknesses of typical wireless network configurations • Network communication in the headlines
Day 2: Database Privacy • Readings on data mining and privacy • Hands-on exercises writing simple database queries • Hands-on exercises with inference control and database privacy • Documentary: “No More Privacy, All About You” • Database privacy in the headlines
Day 3: RFID and Surveillance • Readings on RFID, video surveillance, and REAL-ID • Hands-on exercises with RFID experiment kits • RFID and surveillance in the headlines • Documentary: “Hacking Democracy” (preparation for Day 4)
Day 4: Electronic Voting • Readings on electronic voting • Hands-on exercises with Python programming • Hands-on exercise reading source code for electronic voting system and running mock election • Electronic voting in the headlines
Day 5: CS Careers, Lesson Planning and Tools • Exploration of on-line Occupational Outlook Handbook • Hands-on exercises with CyberCivics tools and “kits” (virtual machines, LiveCDs) • Lesson planning activity and feedback
Kits • Materials budget to provision “kits” that teachers can check out and use • Kits will include • CDs with virtual machine images and LiveCDs • Collections of readings (loose leaf for ease of copying) • Hardware such as wireless access points and RFID kits • Copies of relevant DVDs and books • On-line “kit” supplements will contain downloadable files, pointers to on-line resources including where to buy materials, etc.