As a chief computer architect at Hewlett-Packard in the 1980s, Ruby Lee was a leader in changing the way computers are built, simplifying their core instructions so they could do more. And she revolutionized the way computers use multimedia. If you’ve watched a video or streamed music on your computer or smart phone, Ruby had a lot to do with making that possible. In more recent years here at Princeton, her research has focused on security in computer architecture without sacrificing performance, which is what we’ll talk about today. And she’ll discuss why, even though it’s possible to build more secure devices, the marketplace doesn’t demand it. Ruby Lee is the Forest G. Hamrick Professor in Engineering, and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
When you’re shopping for a new gadget online, there’s a good chance you consulted the reviews on YouTube. So many of them are well produced and very thoughtful takes on the latest computer or camera equipment, services, even food and toys. But are they unbiased? Our guest today, Michael Swart, says a lot of them are practically paid commercials without even telling you. And he has a way to tell the difference. ...
This is the second half of our conversation with Arvind Narayanan, associate professor of computer science here at the Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is a widely recognized expert in the area of information privacy and fairness in machine learning, with a huge Twitter following and a knack for explaining tech privacy matters in terms anyone can understand. In this half of our conversation, he talks about why he’s so active on Twitter, but not the Facebook platforms. He talks about his research into “over-the-top” set-top devices like Roku and Amazon Fire TV, and how they provide content that looks like television content but takes your data like the Internet apps they are. He has critical things to say about Zoom, the platform so many of us are using to work from home. And he discusses one group of people who have seen their privacy actually improve as a result of social media. ...
How can you can improve your privacy in your everyday use of web browsers, email, text messaging and other apps? Our guest is David Sherry, the chief information security officer here at Princeton. He’s responsible for shoring up security at this Ivy League campus of more than 15,000 people. He has 20 years of experience in information security management. He can -- and often does -- speak publicly about how he manages to herd all those cats to make Princeton safer for technology. But today, he’s agreed to provide tips that anyone can use to improve their privacy in their own digital lives. ...
