This course will focus on Internet Censorship and Global Surveillance. From a technological perspective, the course will cover topics such as blocking and monitoring technologies. Various technologies, such as VPNs, are used to overcome or mitigate censorship and surveillance, and will be introduced. It is often unclear who is responsible for such activities, and the course will examine issues around the attribution of causation in relation to blocking, surveillance or other unwanted actions. The course will consider the differences, if any, between actions by democratic governments, non-democratic governments or non-government sponsored entities, e.g. friends and family. Some key examples to be considered will include the Great Firewall of China, the Great Cannon of China and the Arab Spring. Other fact patterns will include Edward Snowden and Wikileaks and the recent Russian hacking of the U.S. Presidential election. The impact of government actors such as the NSA, CSE and GCHQ will be reviewed. We will also look at the impact of cyber warfare and the governance of global communications.
Pre/anti-requisites
Anti-requisite: LAW 6163 - Internet Censorship and Global Surveillance
NCA equivalence:
Terms Offered
Fall 25
Course Section: A
3.0 credits
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