Review For Final Examination (Spring 2005)

Humanities 320 (The Digital Revolution) Honors Seminar

1. What is meant by a "wiretap?"

2. Under what circumstances do you think that the federal government should be permitted to conduct a "wiretap?" What about "wiretaps" for state and local government officials?

3. What are some ways that technologies have strengthened civil liberties in the United States?

4. What are some ways that technology has eroded the civil liberties of Americans?

5. Do you think freedom of speech has been enhanced by the development of new technologies? If so, give examples.

6. Codes of various kinds are used for a great variety of purposes. Can you give examples of these different kinds of applications? Can you abstract classes of applications that codes can be put to?

7. What is the big difference between traditional cryptography and public key cryptography?

8. Give an example of an "unbreakable" crypto system? Why is this system not used more extensively?

9. Among the earliest users of codes were members of the military and diplomats. Give examples of other major users of crypto systems today.

10 What are some recent technologies that depend on codes for hiding information?

11. What are the pros and cons of patenting software versus copyrighting software? Why do you think Europeans are reluctant to allow the patenting of software?

12. What topics were you hoping this course would cover which it did not?

13. What do you think were the most and least interesting topics we treated?