Math 1111: Cryptography

Which terrorists are more pressing, domestic or international?

How will mass surveillance increase in the future?

What does this debate look like in other countries? Say, China or the EU?

How effective has mass surveillance been in preventing terror attacks since 9/11?

What have experts predicted for the future of surveillance?

To any future college students: Be careful of what you type on the internet or reveal about yourself in an online forum. Despite the shocking revelations of the size and scope of the government's surveillance programs revealed by Edward Snowden, the majority of Americans don't understand the kind of information the government has on them, have taken few steps to protect their online data, and believe that such programs don't go far enough in tackling terrorism. Ironically, these same Americans also overwhelmingly believe that consumers have lost protection of their data to companies who have used their clients' privacy as a commodity. I would advise you to be careful of what you post online, and follow a few steps, such as passwords, encryption, and clearing your cookies, to help protect at least some of your data online and allow you to remain private. These programs continue to this day, and it's important that you protect what little privacy remains.

What are the mechanisms behind surveillance? How precisely are people surveilled in the US?

What are the mechanisms behind surveillance? How precisely are people surveilled in the US?

What specific legal frameworks are relevant to a discussion of mass surveillance?

How effective has mass surveillance been in preventing terrorism?

What alternatives to mass surveillance have been proposed, and by whom?

It is important to consider whether Snowden is our enemy or our friend. Disobeying the rule of law and throwing turmoil into our system is harmful, but many still view him as a friend of the people.

We need to really pay attention to how many different apps and resources we have connected to big sites like facebook, and google. Heck, Apple as a whole essentially has our entire lives on record. Don't link everything to facebook or google, and maybe consider diversifying your technology.

Companies don't require a warrant to conduct data searches of their customers. The safest way to ensure that your data remains private while using services from a company is to use client based end to end encryption.

Taking care of yourself nowadays extends out to the Internet world. So take care of yourself. Whatever that means for you and your circumstances.

You are still being watched, and your data being collected, so be careful what you send and to where you send it too. Innocent messages sent out of the country can easily make you become a person of interest for no reason.