In a world where every action we take, every word we write, every virtual world we inhabit is being traced, is there such a thing as privacy?
At the second President’s Conference on Nov. 4, 2009, titled Every Breath You Take: Surveillance, Security and the End of Privacy, Concordia faculty will present research on the complex social, political and technological relationships between individual privacy and public security.
This edition of the President’s Conference again features three sessions, all in the D.B. Clarke Theatre (Basement level of the Henry F. Hall Building, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West).
Check the President’s Conference site for the live webcasts.
Morning Session (10:00 – 11:30 a.m.) – Your Life as a Crime Scene Investigation: Every Move You Make
Professor Mourad Debbabi of the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering will discuss the risks associated with the electronic trail we leave behind during everyday computing.
Special guests from the RCMP, Sûreté du Québec and the Competition Bureau will give real life examples of how Cyberforensic technology is used to prevent fraud, combat online attacks and track criminals though digital evidence.
Here, Mourad Debbabi speaks about what to expect from the Morning Session:
Afternoon Session (2:00 – 3:30 p.m.) – The Science of Surveillance: Every Smile You Fake
Professors John Capobianco of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Ching Y. Suen of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering will present the science behind surveillance technologies such as facial, retina, fingerprint, and handwriting recognition.
Professor Kim Sawchuk of the Department of Communication Studies will illustrate the impact surveillance technologies have on our everyday life.
See a short introduction to the Afternoon Session from Kim Sawchuk.
Evening Session (7:00 – 8:30 p.m.) – I’ll be Watching You: Can We Reconcile Privacy and Security?
Professors Yasmin Jiwani and Tim Schwab of the Department of Communication Studies will examine the tension between privacy rights and security threats in the context of race, gender and citizenship.
They will also look at the role of media and documentary film in “making the private public”. Professor Shannon McSheffrey of the Department of History will provide historical and cultural context on issues of privacy and address how privacy helps transform society.
Watch a short video with Tim Schwab about the themes for the Evening Session.
For more information, visit the President’s Conference website.
Posted on October 21, 2009
