How can we design computer systems that protect users' privacy? This special topics course investigates this question.
Course Summary. The goal of DS 593 is to understand privacy-related challenges for computer systems, learn what design trade-offs we face as engineers, and to identify new research directions that might help address these challenges. We will examine research papers on distributed system design, privacy-preserving, and secure computing techniques, and discuss how to apply these ideas in practice. The goal is to understand if, and how, we can answer questions like these:
- What happens to information we entrust to web services (e.g., email, photo sharing, social networks); how do companies store, process, and share it?
- What requirements does privacy legislation — such as the EU's GDPR — impose on the computer systems involved?
- Can better protect this sensitive data, both against leaks and against unauthorized or unethical use?
Enrollment. DS 593 is a graduate-level class, but undergraduates are very welcome to enroll! Please check the prerequisites and email Kinan if you're unsure whether you meet them.
Logistics
- Instructor: Kinan Dak Albab (
babman@bu.edu). - Office Hours: Tuesdays 3-4PM, Thursdays 1-2:30PM, or by appointment @ CDS 1336.
- Class Time and Location: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30-10:45am (CDS 164).
- Discussion Sections: Wednesday (Occasionally), 9:05am-9:55am (CAS 213).
- Piazza
- Missive – Syllabus