Master - Seminar - Physical versus digital surveillance and legislative perspectives

Supervisor: Lisa (geierhaa@cs.uni-bonn.de)

Surveillance and privacy are a recurring topic in political discourse, and can often be divisive. Arguments for stronger surveillance, especially in the digital realm, typically include the prosecution or prevention of serious crime.
There are many perspectives to be considered in this discussion, including (but certainly not limited to) technical experts, stakeholders like researchers or journalists, or lawmakers, who are all approaching this topic from very different points of view and with varying levels of influence.

Goal:

This seminar offers a selection of different possible focal points for literary research into the discussion surrounding government surveillance and privacy. Possible central questions could be:

• What types of government surveillance can researchers face if they conduct research in a country with strong information control?
• How does physical surveillance differ from digital surveillance from a technical / end-user / legal perspective?

If you would like to propose your own research question for this topic, feel free to do so in your expose.