Abstract

Mathematicians have always played a central role in the making, and breaking, of cryptography. We also play a key role in developing surveillance tools, both for state actors and private organisations. Thus, we have several ways of enabling the infringement of the privacy of others. We can do so deliberately, by designing tools to break strong encryption, or indirectly, by creating systems and platforms which collect massive amounts of personal data of individuals. And we can do it accidentally, by being careless or sloppy in the way we store the data of others. In all of these cases, our work determines how much privacy people can have.

This talk is part 3 of the seminar series Ethics in Mathematics hosted by the Cambridge University Ethics in Mathematics Society over Michaelmas. The event will consist of an interactive lecture followed by a discussion session.