My work involves innovative use of new communications technology — so I ask
students to ask the questions: “Why would the government care about me? — do I really have to worry about surveillance? Facebook and Google already know everything about me….I can’t really do anything, right?”
We’ll answer these questions and more in this course. Students will walk away with some fundamental digital security skills, and the ability to learn new skills and think through security risks. This class is essential knowledge for every student at ITP, since your work inherently requires use of technology, including cutting-edge technology that could present new safety, security, and privacy risks. It’s especially useful for any student who could be working with or belong to marginalized communities, or who is doing any work that could be deemed political.
We’ll use hypothetical profiles to learn how to conduct a risk assessment. Students will learn the basics of how to assess digital security risks for themselves and for their projects, a process known as threat modeling or risk assessment. They will also learn some digital security basics, such as how to install and use encrypted messaging on their mobile devices, how to avoid phishing/malware attacks, and how to create and store secure passwords.
BY Dia Kayyali