Cypherpunks
Tue, Mar 26
There is so much talk (and hot air) concerning "crypto" these days... and, yet, there is very little understanding of the design principles, social values, and underlying technologies of cryptography. Turns out cryptographic technologies are intimately connected with the history of hacking and with specific hacker collectives, such as the notorious "cypherpunks" of the 1990s. After this lecture, you should be able to:
- Understand the social values and techniques underlying basic cryptographic technologies
- Establish links between the history of hacking with the "cypherpunk" movement in the US
- Contextualize "crypto" with respect to the relationship between hackers and regulating agencies
Here are the slides for today!
Read This:
We will read a chapter of a fascinating book by Steven Levy, "Crypto," which tells the stories of key figures behind cryptography and the cypherpunk movement. We will read just a chapter on "public key cryptography" to understand the social history behind this fundamental concept (that will inform the development of key technologies, such as PGP, as we will discuss in class).
Do This:
Technical Homework 04
See the instructions posted on the assignment's page.
This technical homework is due on 4/2 at 5pm.
Final Project Deliverable
Here are the instructions for the final group project deliverable.
This group assignment is due on 5/6 at 5pm.
Once you have completed the readings, fill out the following quiz. It is based on both the readings for this week's classes. If you can't see it, try this direct link.