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?
This was the overarching question of the second President’s Conference, held on Nov. 4, 2009, and titled Every Breath You Take: Surveillance, Security and the End of Privacy.
Concordia faculty presented research on the complex social, political and technological relationships between individual privacy and public security.
The morning session, Your Life as a Crime Scene Investigation: Every Move You Make, discussed 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 gave real life examples of how Cyberforensic technology is used to prevent fraud, combat online attacks and track criminals though digital evidence.
Here are some photos from the morning:
Captain Frederick Gaudreau spoke at the morning session. He is the Officer in charge of the Sûreté du Québec Cybercrime Unit, where he plans, organizes and controls activities inherent to the fight against cybercrime.
Students from high schools all over the greater Montreal area attended the morning session, and were able to pose questions to the panel after their presentations.
The afternoon session The Science of Surveillance: Every Smile You Fake, featured Professors John Capobianco of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Ching Y. Suen of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering presenting the science behind surveillance technologies such as facial, retina, fingerprint, and handwriting recognition.
Professor Kim Sawchuk of the Department of Communication Studies illustrated the impact surveillance technologies have on our everyday life.
Some photos from the afternoon:
Professors Ching Y. Suen and Kim Sawchuk.
Professor Ching Y. Suen shows a younger version of himself during his presentation.
The evening session, I’ll be Watching You: Can We Reconcile Privacy and Security?, featured professors Yasmin Jiwani and Tim Schwab of the Department of Communication Studies, who examined the tension between privacy rights and security threats in the context of race, gender and citizenship.
They also looked at the role of media and documentary film in “making the private public”. Professor Shannon McSheffrey of the Department of History provided historical and cultural context on issues of privacy and address how privacy helps transform society.
Some photos from the evening:
Professor and Chair of the Department of History, Shannon McSheffrey.
Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Yasmin Jiwani.
Professor McSheffrey speaks from the podium as professors Lynn Hughes (who moderated the proceedings), Tim Schwab and Yasmin Jiwani look on.
For more information, visit the Conference website, or read the Concordia Journal article, Nov. 4 event to focus on the delicate balance between surveillance and privacy.
Posted on November 6, 2009
