IPSI

 

Contact Us

416-946-3398
ipsi@utoronto.ca

Bahen Centre Entrance

Bahen Centre
40 St. George Street
4th & 7th floors
Toronto ON M5S 2E4

Public Lecture Series

IPSI is once again pleased to present its Public Lecture series where notable speakers from the identity, privacy and security fields present their work and discuss contemporary issues.

The lectures are open to the public and pre-registration is not required. However, sign up sheets will be available at each lecture and we would appreciate if you sign in. Lectures are part of the JIE1001/ECE1518 Course Outline, but enrolment in the course is not necessary to attend the lectures.


IPSI Public Lecture Series 2015

Monday, November 9 Mark Fabro, President and Chief Security Officer for Lofty Perch
Topic: Privacy Impacts of Cyber Security Vulnerabilities in Smart Grid Deployments
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Room RS211, UofT, (Rosebrugh Building, 164 College Street)
 
Monday, November 16 Seth Hardy, Malware Analyst
Topic: Characterizing and Quantifying Politically-Motivated Targeted Malware
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Room UC179, UofT, (University College, 15 King's College Cir)
 
Monday, November 23 Jennifer Whitson, University of Waterloo
Topic: Play / Data / Addiction: Gamifying the Management of Health Risk
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Room UC179, UofT, (University College, 15 King's College Cir)
 
Monday, November 30 Anita Fineberg, Health Lawyer, Author and Professor
Topic: Let’s Talk Privacy: Information Technologists, Lawyers and Policy Analysts Have a Conversation
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Room UC179, UofT, (University College, 15 King's College Cir)
 
Monday, December 7 Ciara Bracken-Roche, Queen's University
Topic: Exploring the Canadian Drone-scape: Regulations, Implications, and Some Cases
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Room UC179, UofT, (University College, 15 King's College Cir)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IPSI Public Lecture Series 2014

Monday, October 20 Nasir Memon, NYU-Polytechnic
Topic: Authentication on Emerging Interfaces. Exploring alternatives to text based passwords.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Room MC252, UofT, (Mechanical Engineering Building, 5 College Street)
 
Monday, October 27 Andrew Clement, University of Toronto
Topic: Internet Privacy and Security after Snowden
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Room MC252, UofT, (Mechanical Engineering Building, 5 College Street)
 
Monday, November 10 Kevin Haggrety, University of Alberta
Topic: ISurveillance: The master patterns
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Room MC252, UofT, (Mechanical Engineering Building, 5 College Street)
 
Monday, November 24 Avner Levin, Ryerson University
Topic: Losing the Battle but Winning the War? The Shift in Privacy Regulation from Collection to Use and its Implications
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Room MC252, UofT, (Mechanical Engineering Building, 5 College Street)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IPSI Public Lecture Series 2013

Monday, November 25 Ashish Khisti, Department of Electrical and computer Engineering, University of Toronto
Topic: Information Theoretic Security: Fundamedals and Applications
1:30 am-12:30 am
Room MB128, UofT, (Mining Bulding, 170 College street)
 
Friday, November 15 Rajen Akalu,, Professor, Faculty of Business and IT, University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Topic: Privacy and New Technology: Concepts, Controversies and the Search for Solutions
1:00 pm - 2:30pm
Room BA1230, UofT, (Bahen Building, 40 St. George Street)
 
Monday, November 11 Lalitha Sankar,, Professor, Dept. of Electrical, Computer and Energy Eng., Arizona State University
Topic: Competitive Privacy in the Smart Crid
11:30 am - 12:30pm
Room MB128, UofT, (Mining Bulding, 170 College street)
 
Monday, Oct. 28 Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner
Topic: Introducing Privacy-Protective Surveillance: Achieving Privacy and Effective Counter-Terrorism
11:30 am - 12:30pm
Room MB128, UofT, (Mining Bulding, 170 College street)
 
Friday, Oct. 11 Anurag K. Srivastava, Professor, Director, Smart Grid Demonstration and Research Investigation Lab (SGDRILL), Washington State Univerity
Topic: Security Analysis with Incomplete Information and Cyber-Physical Simulation for Power Grid
11:30 am - 12:30pm
Room MB128, UofT, (Mining Bulding, 170 College street)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


IPSI Public Lecture Series 2012

Monday, Sept. 24 Ken Anderson, Assistant Commissioner (Privacy), Ontario
Topic: Privacy Policy and the IPC
4pm - 5:30pm
728 Bissell, 140 St. George Street
 
Monday, Oct. 15 Andrew Clement, Professor, iSchool, U of T
Topic: Proportionate Identification
4pm - 5:30pm
728 Bissell, 140 St. George Street
 
Friday, Oct. 22 Steve Mann Professor, Electrical and Computing Engineering, U of T
Topic: Engineering Privacy: McVeillance and Sousveillance
4pm - 5:30pm
728 Bissell, 140 St. George Street
 
Monday, Nov. 5 Colin McKay, Director of Policy, Google Canada
Topic: Privacy, Policy & Private data
4pm - 5:30pm
728 Bissell, 140 St. George Street
 
Monday, Nov. 19 Peter Hope-Tindall Head of Privacy, ServiceOntario
Topic: Identity & Privacy
4pm - 5:30pm
728 Bissell, 140 St. George Street

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Indian National ID Card Project

Speaker: Dr. Usha Ramanathan, Indian Legal Expert
Title: The many ambitions of an ID project
Time: Thursday, May 17, 2012 4-5:30PM
Place: Faculty of Information, 140 St George St, Room 728


IPSI SmartData International Symposium

May 14-16, 2012
University of Toronto


IPSI Public Lecture Series 2011

Monday, Oct. 24 Anestis Karasaridis, AT&T Labs Research
Topic: DNS Security
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George Room 1130
 
Monday, Nov. 7 Colin Mckay, Public Policy - Google
Topic: Discovery and Delight in Big Data
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George
Room 1200
 
Monday, Nov. 14 Ashish Khisti, Electrical Engineering, University of Toronto
Topic: How Can Physical Layer Resources Increase Wireless Security
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George
Room 1190
 
Friday, Nov. 21 Hong (Vicky) Zhao, Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta
Topic: Multimedia Forensics for Traitor Tracing
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George
Room 1190
 
Monday, Nov. 28 Abraham Drassinower, Law, University of Toronto
Topic: Copyright Infingement as Compelled Speech
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George
Room 1190

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 24
Anestis Karasaridis
AT&T Labs Research
Title:" DNS Security "

Bahen Centre, 40 St George Street, Room 1130
4pm-6pm

Abstract:

The Domain Name System (DNS) is one of the most important network infrastructure services. It serves as the white pages for network resources and is used by almost every web, email and messaging application. DNS is also used as the base for new widely-deployed applications such as Voice over IP (VoIP) Telephony, Radio Frequency IDs (RFID), Content Distribution Networks (CDN), and Mobile voice and data services. Since security was not a primary concern in the design of the protocol, it is amenable to wide scale attacks that can lead to either denial of service or serious security violations (e.g., client redirection to illegitimate sites). Given that availability and reliability in many of the applications that depend on DNS are critical, DNS security is of outmost importance to any organization that provides network-based services.
In this talk, we will provide an overview of following topics
* Protocol overview and typical service architectures
* Main protocol and implementation vulnerabilities
* Monitoring and detection of various attacks
* Prevention, protection and mitigation of attacks
* DNSSEC and DNSCurve
* DNS in next generation Mobile Services



November 7
Colin McKay
Public Policy - Google
Title:" Discovery and Delight in Big Data"

Bahen Centre, 40 St George Street, Room 1200
4pm-6pm

Abstract:

Big data - extraordinary data sets, flexible computing architecture and precise algorithmic analysis - can shed light on difficult scientific problems. It can uncover associations among data trends and pinpoint inflection points. It can inform public policy decisions. Oh, and help focus your purchasing decisions. Trust, represented in part by data protection safeguards, is an essential part of the big data ecosystem. As our interactions with data-based services, sensor-based tools and integrated data networks multiplies, how does this ecosystem remain effective and trustworthy? Drawing on real life examples, this talk will discuss how big data is fueling innovation and revitalizing public policy.



November 14
Ashish Khisti
Electrical Engineering, University of Toronto
Title:" How Can Physical Layer Resources Increase Wireless Security "

Bahen Centre, 40 St George Street, Room 1190
4pm-6pm

Abstract:

Traditionally wireless networks have been considered to be a weak link in security of network systems. The broadcast nature of the wireless medium as well as the limited computation power of mobile devices make traditional cryptographic techniques vulnerable to various attacks in wireless systems. In this talk we will discuss a new emerging research area - Physical Layer Security (PHY-SEC). Unlike traditional cryptographic approaches, PHY-SEC exploits physical layer resources such as multiple-antennas, power-control mechanisms and time/frequency diversity to develop new methods for encrypting data. We will discuss both theoretical results as well as some potential applications of these techniques.



November 21
Hong (Vicky) Zhao
Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta
Title: "Multimedia Forensics for Traitor Tracing"

Bahen Centre, 40 St George Street, Room 1190
4pm-6pm

Abstract:

Recent development in multimedia and network technologies has raised the critical issue of protecting multimedia content and enforcing digital rights. To address the post-delivery protection of multimedia, digital fingerprinting is an emerging technology to identify users who have legitimate access to multimedia content but use it for unintended purposes. It provides proactive forensic tools to trace the illegal usage of multimedia by inserting unique identification information (" fingerprint ") into the content before distribution.
However, the global nature of Internet enables a group of attackers to collectively and effectively remove traces of digital fingerprints. These attacks, known as collusion, pose serious threats to protecting the intellectual property rights of multimedia. Therefore, it is essential for multimedia fingerprinting to resist such multi-user collusion. In addition, in digital fingerprinting, different users have different objectives and they influence each other s decisions and performance. It is important to investigate how they interact with and respond to each other. Better understanding of behavior forensics can offer stronger protection of multimedia.
This talk addresses various issues in digital fingerprinting and introduces recent advances in multimedia forensics for traitor tracing. First, different collusion strategies will be discussed and compared. Then, traitor tracing capability and collusion resistance of multimedia fingerprinting will be evaluated, which provides fundamental guidelines for anti-collusion fingerprint design. Finally, the fairness dynamics among colluders and the traitor-within-traitor behavior forensics will be formulated and analyzed.



November 28
Abraham Drassinower
Law, University of Toronto
Title: " Copyright Infringement as Compelled Speech"

Bahen Centre, 40 St George Street, Room 1190
4pm-6pm

Abstract:

This paper offers a rights-based account of copyright law. Its central proposition is that a " work " subject to copyright is a communicative act. This proposition grounds two further propositions. The first is that, because a work subject to copyright is a communicative act, infringement of the right attendant on the work is best grasped as a disposing of another's speech in the absence of her authorization. Copyright infringement is wrongful because it is compelled speech. The paper develops this view of copyright infringement through analysis of the wrongfulness of unauthorized publication of unpublished works. In this vein, the paper considers, albeit briefly, the distinction between a privacy focus and a copyright focus on unauthorized publication. The second proposition is that, because a work is a communicative act, rights attendant on it must be consistent with the communicative rights of others, even - or especially - where such rights require unauthorized reproduction of a work for the purposes of responding to its author's communication. Copyright doctrine protects not an author's absolute rights over her work but only such rights as are consistent with the structure of the dialogue of which the work is but a part. The concept of the work as a communicative act thus traverses both the justification and the limitation of copyright. The paper concludes with some remarks on the implications of this construal of copyright law for our understanding of the public domain in particular and of copyright law generally. As distinct from a policy-driven incentive-based account, a rights-based account can help us broach the deep significance of copyright law as an effort to organize normatively an irreducible aspect of human interaction.






IPSI Public Lecture Series 2010

Monday, Oct. 25 Joseph Ferenbok, ICCIT Lecturer & Senior Researcher
Topic: Picturing Your Face as Data
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George Room 4164
 
Monday, Nov. 8 Ken Anderson, Assistant Commissioner, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Topic: Deeply Embedded Privacy by Design
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George
Room 1130
 
Monday, Nov. 15 Reza Kopaee, Associate Partner at Deloitte Enterprise Risk Services
Topic: Enterprise 2.0 - Seizing Opportunities and Managing Risk
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George
Room 1130
 
Friday, Nov. 19 Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Topic: Get Smart About Privacy: Privacy by Design — The Gold Standard
10am - 11am
Bissell Bldg., 140 St. George
Room 205
 
Monday, Nov. 22 (none)  
 
Monday, Nov. 29 George Tomko, IPSI Expert-in-Residence
Topic: SmartData: Make the Data Think for Itself Data Protection in the 21st Century
4pm - 6pm
Bahen Centre, 40 St. George
Room 1130

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 25
Joseph Ferenbok
ICCIT Lecturer & Senior Researcher
"Picturing Your Face as Data"

Abstract:

The lecture will present a set of research questions at the intersection between privacy, technology and identity. The discussion will present broad understandings of how technologies are changing the presentation of faces in public places, and will present both themes and ideas that link current research projects and look forward to future research.



November 8
Ken Anderson
Assistant Commissioner, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
"Deeply Embedded Privacy by Design"

Abstract:

Privacy by Design continues to be recognized around the world as a fundamental component of privacy protection. As developed by Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian, it has 7 Foundational Principles. How has this been practically linked into the work of organizations? Come and hear examples of recognizing the PbD principles in a manner that is deeply embedded into technologies, systems and architectures.

Watch the webcast



November 15
Reza Kopaee
Associate Partner at Deloitte Enterprise Risk Services
"Enterprise 2.0 - Seizing Opportunities and Managing Risk"

Abstract:

How will social media, mobile technology, and cloud computing change your enterprise opportunities and risks?

Social media adoption continues to grow inside and outside enterprises while mobile and cloud technology is accelerating this adoption and revolutionizing the way enterprises do business. Used effectively, social media and mobile technology can substantially increase revenue, enhance customer loyalty, and reduce operational cost. However, enterprises must manage the risks related to strategy, brand, intellectual property, legal, regulatory, and privacy.

The following topics will be examined in more detail:

  • Enterprise Opportunities and Use Case Scenarios
  • Elements of a Successful Enterprise 2.0 Program
  • Enterprise 2.0 Risks (strategic, security, privacy risks)
  • Reputation Risk Monitoring and Management
  • Creating an Effective Enterprise 2.0 Governance Model
  • Measuring and Reporting Enterprise 2.0 Risks and Opportunities
  • Developing Customer Intelligence and Competitive Information Gathering
  • Auditing Enterprise 2.0


November 19
Dr. Ann Cavoukian
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
"Get Smart About Privacy: Privacy by Design - The Gold Standard"

Abstract:

As we enter into an age where we are immersed in a rich information environment, automatically sharing information about ourselves with others, viable privacy protections must be architected directly into technology - such as Ontario's Smart Grid program. While the Smart Grid will bring many benefits such as energy conservation, we must be careful not to get lost in a sea of enthusiasm and allow privacy to become the Smart Grid's sleeper issue. Whenever technology is utilized that targets individual consumers, there is invariably a dramatic increase in the amount of personally identifiable information that is collected and stored, leading to very real concerns regarding privacy.

Enter Privacy by Design (PbD), a concept developed by Commissioner Cavoukian back in the 90's. In its essence, PbD proactively seeks to embed privacy into the design specifications of information technology and business practices, thereby achieving the strongest form of protection. Come hear Dr. Cavoukian explain how her vision of Privacy by Design can help to transform the privacy problems of the 21st century into privacy solutions that can last well into the future.

View the presentation (PDF file)



November 29
George Tomko
IPSI Expert-in-Residence
"SmartData: Make the Data Think for Itself Data Protection in the 21st Century"

Abstract:

The Internet has evolved from an information service to a critical infrastructure underpinning virtually every aspect of our lives. Coincident with this evolution has been the demand for increasingly more personal information by governments and businesses. The future of privacy and, by extension, liberty and freedom, may depend on the ability to reclaim this control.

Enter SmartData – a research project to create Internet-based intelligent agents to act as an individual's online surrogate for privacy and data control. This will far exceed existing limited and brittle data protection. SmartData agents will be able to cope with unforeseen situations, adapt to new and novel threats, and for the first time provide a true and nuanced representation of an individual's privacy and data security preferences, returning control to the data source, the individual.

View the presentation (PDF file)






IPSI Public Lecture Series 2009

September 28
Andrew Clement
Professor, University of Toronto
"Toward Secure, Privacy Sensitive ID/Authentication"

Abstract:

The conventional approach to authenticating an individual for the purposes of authorizing a particular transaction is to require an ID card or similar form of unique personal identifier that links the individual to an organizationally maintained database. In both face to face and on-line settings, this is highly problematic from a privacy point of view - often revealing much more personal information than the minimum required. An alternative approach that is gaining attention in on-line transactions is that of digital credentialing - of securely and reliably establishing that the person is entitled to conduct the transaction without requiring full identification (e.g. Credentica/Microsoft's U-Prove technique). This lecture will introduce this alternative, more user-centric approach to ID/authentication, by showing how credentialing can work in face to face settings while protecting privacy interests. In so doing, it will provide an introduction to the central theme of this fall's lecture series, ID/authentication, as well as the speakers to follow who will address various aspects of this topic.

View the presentation (PDF file)



October 5
Kostas Plataniotis
Professor, University of Toronto
"Introduction to Biometrics for ID and Authentication"

Abstract:

Biometric identification, authentication, verification of claimed identity, and prevention of un-authorized access to physical assets and confidential, sensitive information are critical elements of an effective security architecture in several civilian and commercial applications. Biometrics, a measurable physical characteristic or personal behaviour trait that can be used to identify and verify a claimed identity appears to be the obvious choice for large scale authentication, user identification and platform/application attestation. The objective of this presentation is to review the state-of-the-art in biometrics-based research with particular emphasis on solutions for authentication. The presentation will highlight open research questions and present recent technical advances.

Watch the webcast



October 26
Roger Clarke
Xamax / Visiting Professor
The Australian National University / Australian Privacy Foundation (Chair) / Australian Computer Society
"A Sufficiently Rich Model of (Id)entity, Authentication and Authorization"

Abstract:

Conventional approaches to authentication revolve around identities and identity management. This presentation introduces a model and a coherent set of terms. These enable organisations to judge what infrastructure and business processes are appropriate to support particular eBusiness and eGovernment systems. Application of the model demonstrates that the precepts on which the current 'identity management' industry is based are deeply flawed. The model is applicable to many different categories of entities, including goods, motor vehicles, computing devices, human beings, and artefacts as proxies for human beings. The importance of the distinction between an entity and an identity is drawn out by considering mobile phones.

Watch the webcast



November 2
David Lyon
Professor, Queen's Research Chair, Queens University, Sociology
"Identifying Citizens: ID Cards as Surveillance"

Abstract:

New IDs, proliferating around the world, portend a new social and political condition. Not merely a response to post 9/11 anxieties about national security, new IDs are a novel means of governance in a world where surveillance is the dominant organizational mode. Showing a token of legitimate ID is now a basic condition for the exercise of freedom. Now that IDs depend on large-scale databases, biometrics and sometimes RFID, what does the "new social and political condition" mean for surveillance, security and citizenship?

Watch the webcast



November 16
Carlisle Adams
Professor, University of Ottawa
"Credential Systems: Promise, Risks and Possible Mitigations"

Abstract:

Concerns about the degradation of privacy in our increasingly digital world has led a number of researchers to explore the creation of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs). One such PET is the concept of a credential system, which allows the construction of privacy-preserving access control infrastructures in online environments. Credential systems hold much promise for those interested in retaining some control over their personal information but, as with any technology, there can be risks associated with widespread deployment. This talk will give a brief introduction to credential systems and some of the associated risks, and discuss recent research into possible mitigation techniques for these risks.

Watch the webcast



November 23
Lorrie Cranor
Program Director
Carnegie Mellon University, CyLab / Engineering and Public Policy / Institute for Software Research /
School of Computer Science
"Usable Privacy and Security"

Abstract:

Many secure systems rely on a "human in the loop" to perform security-critical functions. However, humans often fail in their security roles. Whenever possible, secure system designers should find ways of keeping humans out of the loop. However, there are some tasks for which feasible or cost effective alternatives to humans are not available. In these cases secure system designers should engineer their systems to support the humans in the loop and maximize their chances of performing their security critical functions successfully. I will introduce some high- level approaches to usable security and discuss a proposed framework for reasoning about the human in the loop that provides a systematic approach to identifying potential causes for human failure. This framework can be used by system designers to identify problem areas before a system is built and proactively address deficiencies. System operators can also use this framework to analyze the root cause of security failures that have been attributed to "human error."

Watch the webcast



November 30
Dmitry O. Gorodnichy
Senior Research Scientist
Group Leader, Video Surveillance and Biometrics Technologies / Applied Research and Development Division / Laboratory and Scientific Services Directorate / Canada Border Services Agency
"Recognition in Video"

Abstract:

Video has become the main information media of our age. Thousands of video cameras are installed in public places. Thousands of hours of video data are being recorded, transmitted and archived daily. As a result, automated recognition of individuals in video has become one of the most frequently-contemplated uses of biometrics. It is however also one of the most challenging. This talk presents an overview of the problems and solutions related to video-based recognition. Among the questions considered are:

  • What makes video-based biometrics so different from conventional image-based biometrics such as fingerprint, iris and passport faces?
  • Why is conventional error-tradeoff-based evaluation not sufficient for evaluation of face recognition in video?
  • Why is the human brain so efficient in performing video recognition tasks, while computers are not?
  • What is the state of the art, and what is the future of recognition in video - for academia and for industry?


December 7
Ian Kerr
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Ethics, Law and Technology, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law / Faculty of Medicine / Department of Philosophy
"All Smile and No Cat? How Soft Surveillance and Ubiquitous Computing Challenge Privacy and Anonymity"

Abstract:

U.S. novelist Jonathan Franzen once characterized privacy as the “Cheshire cat of values.” One wonders whether current legal and ethical norms aimed at protecting privacy and anonymity will suffer the same fate as Lewis Carroll’s enigmatic feline—all smile and no cat. While privacy law’s “consent” requirements are easily understood and applied in coercive or surreptitious surveillance systems, their application is murkier in the context of social networks, ubiquitous computing and other forms of lateral surveillance where participants seem to eagerly and voluntarily disclose private information without regard to the consequences. In this lecture, Dr. Ian Kerr, Canada Research Chair in Ethics, Law and Technology, considers the future (regulation) of privacy and anonymity through an exploration of the aims and effects of ubiquitous computing and the broader social shift from traditional to “softer” forms of surveillance.

Watch the webcast




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