Web 2.0 and social media 2100-CB-M-D3WEB2
1. *Mappa Mundi of the Internet – Introduction to the Structure of the Internet
[lecture]
From Web 0.0 to Web 5.0. The "surface" and "hidden" Internet. Understanding the concepts of: Darknet, DeepWeb, DarkWeb, Clearnet, SurfaceWeb.
Topography/map of hidden networks:
1. Internet background radiation,
2. “Old” Internet services (Web 0.0),
3. Alternative domain name systems,
4. Pseudo-top-level domains,
5. Intranets/extranets separated from the Internet,
6. Infrastructural top-level domains,
7. Industrial control and information management systems,
8. Content published on the web but inaccessible through Google search engines.
Topography of surface networks: anatomy of Web 1.0 and 2.0. The landscape of social media. “New3” (sic!) media.
Cybersecurity threats to the privacy of Web 2.0 users and New3 media. Typical attack vectors – social engineering.
2. Safe Navigation in Web 2.0 – The Basics
Instead of an introduction: virtualization + the appropriate choice of operating system as the foundation of cybersecurity.
2.1. Password Security
Typical vectors of password leaks – individual and mass breaches.
Historical overview of password reinforcement solutions (with the HashCat program in the background): hash, DES, OTP, AES, 2FA (including hardware security presentation), FingerprintID, FaceID, WebAuthn, EU 3DSecure.
The sense and nonsense of biometrics.
Principles of constructing and validating a secure password – old and new paradigms.
Entropy calculation and time required to crack a password.
The use of password managers.
**2.2. Secure Messengers**
OpSec principles for using messengers.
Concepts for relatively anonymous communication – from Voice over WiFi to anonymized eSIM cards.
Security evaluation of messengers providing (relative) anonymity: Signal, Element, and Threema.
Security evaluation of privacy-focused chat platforms: Briar, Silence, Session, Wire.
Installation and configuration of selected applications.
Connection tunneling using Orbot.
3. Creating Reliable and Secure Accounts in Web 2.0
Terminology: sockpuppets, strawman sockpuppet, Sybil attack, astroturfing, shill/troll.
Obfuscating digital fingerprints – from browser plugins and proxies to FraudFox (i.e., how cybercriminals do it).
Anonymous purchasing of verified accounts and views/likes/subscribers/followers.
Anonymous registration of messenger accounts.
Creating credible online social identities (from webonym to social surroundings).
Anonymous (relatively!) phone numbers, Internet access, email addresses, payments.
Anonymous payments using PrivateCoins: Monero (XMR), Zcash (ZEC), Dash (DASH), Verge (XVG), Komodo (KMD).
4. Is There a (Virtual) World Beyond Facebook and Google? Alternative (Federated) Social Media
[workshop + mini-lectures]
Federated alternatives to social media giants – how to replace monopolies such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram: Diaspora*, Mastodon, Pleroma, PeerTube, and others.
Beyond the mainstream: Parler, Gab, MeWe, Minds, Albicla, Hejto, and other social media platforms.
Overview and fundamentals of exploration.
5. Data Leaks – As a Consequence of “2.5” Social Media
[lecture and workshop]
Parameters of Data Havens.
A cautionary tale of Data Hell: Freedom Hosting.
Sealand and The Pirate Bay – exemplifying Data Havens.
Whistleblowers: from Ralph Nader to Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning.
WikiLeaks and its copycats. CryptoMe.
Exposed tax havens – Offshore Leaks.
Successors of WikiLeaks – Distributed Denial of Secrets.
Where to find data leaks?
Example: “The Eye of God.”
6. How to Live in a Post-Truth World – Fake News Detection in Social Media
[lecture and workshop with a strong practical component to develop fundamental media verification skills]
Examine what you read – internal source criticism.
Factual aspect – checking the accuracy of information (contextual analysis, cross-checking, triangulation…).
Semantic (linguistic), syntactic (grammar), typographic (text composition), and diachronic (publication timing) aspects.
Substantive aspect (citations/sources).
Evaluative (affective) aspect – including the use of automated sentiment analysis tools.
Insights from the science of lie detection in written form.
Examine the context of the source – external source criticism.
Author, institution, account/profile, website.
Overview of institutions specializing in media information verification: Bellingcat, Politifact, FactCheck, Demagog, and others.
Artificial Intelligence Press Agencies – the future of journalism?
AI in the process of verifying the credibility of news and assessing ideological bias.
7. The Future of the Internet – Web3?
[workshops and mini-lectures]
7.1. Decentralized Third-Generation Internet (Decentralized Storage Networks)
Data resistant to censorship and failure – IPFS.
Risks associated with prohibited content.
Practical addendum: installation and configuration of IPFS (InterPlanetary File System).
7.2. Decentralized Social Media – Where Freedom of Speech Meets Fair Compensation
Steemit – a blogging and social platform that rewards content creation and curation with cryptocurrency ([https://steemit.com](https://steemit.com)).
LBRY – a decentralized content-sharing platform that rewards popularity with cryptocurrency ([https://lbry.com](https://lbry.com)).
Hive – a blockchain-based social platform rewarding users for creativity and interaction ([https://hive.io](https://hive.io)).
7.3. Non-Fungible Tokens – Cyber Real Estate, Digital Artworks, Monetized Games or Financial Pyramids?
The universe of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs):
Rarible ([https://rarible.com/](https://rarible.com/)) – creation and sale of NFTs.
OpenSea ([https://opensea.io/](https://opensea.io/)) – the world’s largest marketplace for trading and creating NFTs.
“Nifties” – unique digital items and artworks.
Examples: CryptoPunks, CryptoKitties, Axie Infinity.
7.4. Selling Yourself – Private Tokens: Opportunities and Cyber Threats
Private tokens (social tokens): from Ethereum and ERC-721 to TryRoll ([https://www.tryroll.com/](https://www.tryroll.com/)) and MintMe ([https://www.mintme.com/](https://www.mintme.com/)).
Token security.
7.5. Metaverses – Alternative Digital Universes
Definition of metaverses (AR + VR + Blockchain).
History (from *Second Life*).
The metaverse universe: Decentraland, Cryptovoxels, The Sandbox, and others.
|
Term 2024Z:
None |
Term 2025Z:
None |
Term 2026Z:
None |
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will acquire:
Knowledge
- of the structure and evolution of the Internet, including issues related to security and privacy
- of the principles of maintaining IT and information security on the Internet (K_W03)
- of typical attack vectors (K_W03)
- of the social and technological dimensions of entities such as Web 2.0, decentralized Internet, and blockchain-based projects (K_W03)
- of the fundamentals of how disinformation functions and how it can be countered online (K_W08)
Skills
- navigating a wide range of both mainstream and emerging social media platforms (Web3, metaverses)
- conducting basic data breach searches and analyses (K_U01)
- using AI tools to detect information manipulation (K_U01)
- verifying media information and identifying threats to digital security (K_U01)
- maintaining (relative) anonymity on the Internet, particularly within Web 2.0 and in the use of messengers (OpSec) (K_U01)
- independently designing secure social media accounts, including those requiring cryptocurrency wallets (K_U01)
Social Competences
- understanding the ethical and legal boundaries of using anonymity on the Internet (K_K01)
- promoting attitudes of conscious limitation in disseminating private and professional information online (K_K01)
Assessment criteria
The final project consists of the independent installation, configuration, and creation of an account/identity/token in a selected social media platform, as agreed upon with the course instructor (the instructor will also suggest appropriate project topics). The project includes the aforementioned tasks as well as the preparation of a handout in the form of either a written instructional guide or a recorded video tutorial (e.g., screen recording with voice-over).
Completion of the project requires the assimilation of the knowledge, competences, and skills conveyed during the course. Projects must be completed and presented during the final class session, during which evaluations and their justification will be provided. The final grade will be calculated as the arithmetic mean of the project grade and the grade for partial participation throughout the course.
Bibliography
Required Reading:
F. Brunton, H. Nissenbaum, Obfuscation: A User’s Guide for Privacy and Protest*, PWN, Warsaw 2016
* B. Kaiser, Data Dictatorship, Krytyka Polityczna, Warsaw 2020, or (alternative) Ch. Wylie, Mindfuck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break Democracy, Insignis Publishing, Kraków 2020.
* E. Snowden, Permanent Record, Insignis Publishing, Kraków 2019
Supplementary Reading:
M. Ball, The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything, MT Biznes, Warsaw 2022
E. S. Raymond, *The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary, O’Reilly, Beijing, Cambridge, Farnham 2001, chapter: The Cathedral and the Bazaar, pp. 19–64.
|
Term 2024Z:
None |
Term 2025Z:
None |
Term 2026Z:
None |
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: