PA232 Privacy and Anonymity Technologies

Fakulta informatiky
podzim 2026
Rozsah
2/1/0. 3 kr. (plus ukončení). Ukončení: zk.
Vyučováno kontaktně
Vyučující
RNDr. Valdemar Švábenský, Ph.D. (přednášející)
Jiří Pastrňák (pomocník)
Garance
RNDr. Valdemar Švábenský, Ph.D.
Katedra počítačových systémů a komunikací – Fakulta informatiky
Dodavatelské pracoviště: Katedra počítačových systémů a komunikací – Fakulta informatiky
Předpoklady
SOUHLAS
Students are expected to understand the areas below. In case of any knowledge gaps, catching up through self-study is necessary.

These courses are not enforced as prerequisites, so that students who completed their bachelor's degrees outside FI MUNI can enroll. There will be a basic entry self-test (online, asynchronous) to assess your current knowledge and help you decide if this course is right for you.

When applying for enrollment, briefly list your relevant experience and completed courses in the areas above, as well as your motivation for studying this course. Be sure to also read the full course catalog page. More info for enrollment application coming up on 31 August 2026.
Omezení zápisu do předmětu
Předmět je otevřen studentům libovolného oboru.
Předmět si smí zapsat nejvýše 36 stud.
Momentální stav registrace a zápisu: zapsáno: 0/36, pouze zareg.: 60/36, pouze zareg. s předností (mateřské obory): 0/36
Anotace
This course explores tools and practices that enable private information exchange, data protection, anonymous communication, and even darknet systems. Through case studies and hands-on labs, students gain a practical understanding of privacy-preserving protocols, anonymity networks, and related technologies, and recognize how they can be used either for beneficial applications or misused for cybercrime. These topics are especially relevant nowadays, when countries worldwide exploit mass surveillance, censorship of information, and cyber warfare.
Výstupy z učení
Upon completing the course, students will be able to:
  • Understand the importance of privacy as a fundamental human right.
  • Understand the ethical use cases for anonymous communication (e.g., investigative journalism, activism, whistleblowing).
  • Explain the architecture and design of major anonymity networks.
  • Apply privacy-preserving methods for communication and data sharing.
  • Analyze private and anonymous communication systems.
  • Understand and evaluate techniques for deanonymization and their countermeasures.
  • Understand how attackers can misuse darknet systems for cybercrime.
Klíčová témata
The course dives deeply into topics in the "Privacy" knowledge unit as standardized by the US Department of Defense Cyber Exchange.
Specifically, the course covers:
  1. Introduction to privacy and anonymity, OSINT
  2. Tracking web browsing and online activity
  3. Securing web browsing, VPNs
  4. Tor (The Onion Router)
  5. I2P (Invisible Internet Project), case study on torrenting
  6. High-latency anonymity networks (Nym, Hyphanet/Freenet)
  7. [Midterm test]
  8. Privacy-preserving Linux OS distributions (Tails, Qubes, Whonix...)
  9. Privacy-preserving email and chat messaging (Matrix, Briar, Ricochet...)
  10. Internet censorship and its circumvention
  11. Covert channels and steganography
  12. Dark web ecosystem
  13. [Christmas special session: elevator pitch presentations of selected topics]
Studijní zdroje a literatura
  • Proceedings of the USENIX Security Symposium: https://dblp.org/db/conf/uss/index.html
  • Proceedings of the Privacy Enhancing Technologies conference: https://petsymposium.org/past-pets.php
  • Anonymity Bibliography: https://www.freehaven.net/anonbib/date.html
  • Videos and materials from the DEF CON conference: https://media.defcon.org/
Přístupy, postupy a metody používané ve výuce
  • Lecture, which includes case studies, demonstrations, discussions, and interactive activities.
  • Practical exercises on a computer involving the hands-on usage of relevant tools in Linux.
  • Practical homework assignments involving the deployment of tools and experimentation.
Způsob ověření výstupů z učení a požadavky na ukončení

Up to 100 points towards the grade can be gained via the following:

  • Mini-test at the start of each seminar (6 tests total, in each of the 6 seminars), testing the content of the previous lecture(s) — 12 points (2 for each test).
  • Two practical homework assignments, requiring the deployment of tools and writing an experience report with screenshots — 20 points (10 for each homework).
  • Midterm exam, testing the knowledge from lectures and seminars — 20 points.
  • Final exam, testing the knowledge from lectures and seminars  — 40 points.
  • Detailed, constructive feedback after each lecture and seminar, to help shape the course in future years — 8 points (0.5 for each lecture or seminar, up to the maximum of 8).

After achieving at least the passing grade (60 points or more) on the criteria above, students can choose to improve their grade by completing one or two optional homework assignments. Up to 10 bonus points per assignment can be earned based on the quality of the output. Topics:

  • Improving your own privacy / anonymity by deploying specific tools and writing a technical report (threat model, motivation, countermeasures).
  • Creating a practical educational material relevant to the course and documenting its usage for both students and instructors.

The grade is then determined based on this point scale:

A 92 – 100
B 84 – 91
C 76 – 83
D 68 – 75
E 60 – 67
F less than 60
Vyučovací jazyk
Angličtina
Navazující předměty
Odkaz a informace vyučujících
Students are expected to attend a 2-hour lecture weekly and a 2-hour exercise session bi-weekly (i.e., the seminar groups alternate every other week).

All study materials, tools, and literature are in English. The default spoken language of instruction is English for all lectures and seminars. If all attendees of a particular seminar group speak Czech or Slovak, the group may agree to switch to either language.

Další komentáře
Předmět je vyučován každoročně.
Výuka probíhá každý týden.
  • Statistika zápisu (nejnovější)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/predmet/fi/podzim2026/PA232