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Input: Surveillance, Security and the End of Privacy 

The second President’s Conference brought to light many details of privacy and security that had many of us a tad concerned. Reflecting the issues raised at the conference, the Journal asks: Did you learn something that will change your personal habits?

I have general ideas about much of this stuff, but [the morning session] gave me new details I didn’t know about. I have put a lot of personal information on Facebook – my date of birth, my school, where I work… I think I have to reconsider all this information I make public.

- Information systems security master’s student Ghassan Ghozayel

As far as being scared, I already take some precautions. I don’t have Facebook for example, which is a little weird among teenagers. But there are a lot of little things we don’t realize, like how easily they can get into your computer, and that scares me. Every time I’m buying something [online], I’ll be a little more wary.

- Grade 11 Centennial Regional High School student Nadir Khan

My business partner and I, we do all our business transactions online. We’ve actually been victimized by cybercrime, and we’re doing all kinds of things wrong. We’re on Mac, so we have a sense of security that I think is false.

- Director of Production and Programming, PBS Mountain Lake, New York Colin Powers

First of all, I’m going to remember to turn that cookie thing off on my computer. The only reason mine is on is that when I apply for university grants, you have to turn those things on. I turn them on and forget. I’ll go back, think about things again and tighten up.

- Associate Dean, Research and International Relations Lynn Hughes
(also moderator for the conference’s evening session)

To be honest, I’m not that concerned. I know it’s a reality out there, but I’m not going to start deleting files on Facebook and such. I think that it is a problem, but it’s not something that will affect me personally right away. I’m sure it could happen, but I’m not going to break my neck on it.

- Grade 11 Centennial Regional High School student Darren Schwinghamer

[After this conference] I’m more inclined to look at some of the legal aspects of surveillance and how far the laws reach. It’s something we don’t look at very often, but there are quite a few laws on the books which affect the topic at hand not many of us are aware of.

- Senior Graphic Designer, Marketing Communications, Chris Alleyne

I think the morning session probably got everyone’s attention in terms of being much more conscious about the kind of personal information we distribute on our personal computers and how we should be vigilant about protecting that information. There’s no foolproof means of protection, but one of the points that came through clearly was that the most vulnerable links of the chain are the individual users, whether we’re sending or receiving information.

- Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies, Arts and Science, Graham Carr

I’ll be paying more attention to certain types of science and technologies that maybe I put into the realm of science fiction before. Especially [John Capobianco’s] presentation on nanotechnology and [computer science and software engineering professor Ching Y. Suen’s] on pattern recognition suggested there’s a lot of potential for everyday awareness to be raised.

- Communication studies professor Owen Chapman

Input solicits opinions from a range of interested parties on topical issues. Continue the conversation!