Information Security for Economists 2400-ZEWW996

1. Introduction to information security and information analysis. Information overload as a source of misery. (From S. Lem's Megabit Bomb to D. Shenck's Data Smog). The problem of Big Data, information overload, media shock, species limitations of sensory perception. Cognitive biases. Kahneman's analysis of “noise” as random variability and instability of human judgments. Human memory and mind as a cognitive barrier: the concept of anti-knowledge and unknown-unknowns. The social problem caused by unknown-unknowns: Lemon Market. Characteristics of short- and long-term human memory: Lisa Genova, Elizabeth Loftus, Julia Shaw, Kimberly Wade. Memory errors and artifacts.
2. Limitations of information analysis. Probability in information analysis. Cognitive errors: ignoring probability, the gambler's paradox, the benefit effect. Culture and society as cognitive barriers. Informational and normative conformism. Lynn Hasher – the repetition effect. From the echo effect to Kaiping Peng and Richard Nisbett's cultural perspectivism. Confirmation bias. Joseph P. Overton's “window” and Joshua Treviño's axis of social acceptance. Language as a flawed tool for describing reality. The linguistic relativity hypothesis (E. Sapir, B. L. Whorf – the influence of language on the perception of the world). The role of metaphors (G. Lakoff – shaping thoughts through metaphors). Color perception and memory vs. language (J. A. Lucy – linguistic differences in describing colors). The influence of language on memory (E. Loftus – how the wording of statements influences the memory of events). Thinking and language (D. Slobin – the concept of “thinking for speaking”). Language and perception of reality (L. Boroditsky – the influence of grammatical gender on perception). Philosophy of language (F. de Saussure, L. Wittgenstein.
3. Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models I. Overview of models (families: ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, Copilot, YandexGPT, GigaChat, and others). Concepts: Deep Learning, Transformer Model, Tokenization, Hallucinations, Prompting. Model limitations. Security and censorship aspects.
4. Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models II. Application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the study of political and economic dynamics: analysis of large macroeconomic data sets. Machine learning algorithms in forecasting economic and political trends: predicting financial crises, analyzing election campaigns, assessing market stability. The role of AI in national information security: detecting disinformation operations, identifying bot networks in the media space, predicting social reactions to changes in economic policy. Challenges related to the “black box” of algorithms – limited transparency of models and the risk of replicating system errors.
5. Cryptocurrencies as an element of information security. How cryptocurrencies differ from regular money (cryptocurrencies versus fiat) – from philosophical to financial aspects. Understanding blockchain – what is it, where is it, and what is it for? Mining and cryptocurrencies – what is cryptocurrency mining? Security and privacy in cryptocurrencies.
6. Surface web search. The importance of effective information search skills on the web. How search engines work – indexing, ranking algorithms, result personalization. Limitations of the surface web and cognitive traps in using search engines: the primacy effect, information bubbles, algorithmic filters. Techniques for formulating queries – logical operators, advanced search, use of specialized databases and tools. Critical evaluation of online sources: reliability, timeliness, sender's intentions. The role of language and cultural context in information search (e.g., differences in results depending on the language of the query). Search security – avoiding phishing sites, malicious links, and fake news sites. The surface web as the basic but limited area of work for analysts – introduction to deeper layers of the web (deep web, dark web).
7. Analysis of scientific sources (SCIence INTeligence). GetTheResearch. CiteAs.org citation search engine. Grey literature, preprint and postprint servers as sources of scientific papers. Scientific paper databases: Google Scholar, WorldWideScience, ScienceOpen, Paperity, SSRN, Academic Torrents, and others. Alternatives to Wikipedia. When access is denied – SciHub and Unpaywall initiatives. Z Library and Library Genesis. Internet sociolects – dictionaries. Practical addendum: tools to assist in working with sources and text (Scrnli, Screenshot-master, SPPT, QR Scanner, Instant Data Scraper, ISBN Search, DrawR, and many others).
8. The TOR network, Dark Markets – anonymity, security, and risks. The origins and principles of the TOR (The Onion Router) network – multi-layer encryption, intermediate nodes, and anonymous routing mechanism. TOR as a tool for increasing user privacy and protecting freedom of speech in authoritarian systems. Legal applications: scientific research, journalism, political communication. TOR in the context of economic and political security. Risks and abuses: presence on the dark web, trade in illegal goods, organized crime, cyberattacks. The problem of TOR's reputation – a tool for civil liberties or a threat to national security? Analysis of international institutions' actions towards TOR and ethical dilemmas related to the balance between individual privacy and collective security.
9. Cyberwarfare – introduction. The concept of cyberwarfare and its place in political, military, and economic debate. The development of the concept from the first cyberattacks on critical infrastructure to contemporary hybrid conflicts. Cyberspace as a new dimension of state rivalry: offensive operations (attacks on energy, banking, and telecommunications networks) and defensive operations (early warning systems, cyber defense of the army and administration). The use of digital tools to disrupt political and economic processes, paralyze supply chains, and destabilize financial markets. The role of non-state actors: hacker groups, criminal organizations, and technology corporations. Legal and ethical challenges: lack of clear international regulations, the problem of attributing responsibility for attacks (attribution problem), the dilemma of balancing state security and civil liberties. Cyberwarfare as an element of contemporary geopolitics and security economics.
10. Information as a tool of cyberwarfare, information warfare. The role of information as a weapon in political and economic conflicts. Analysis of disinformation and fake news mechanisms as tools of cyberwarfare: creating false narratives, manipulating images and emotions, using social media for mass influence. Techniques for amplifying messages: repetition of messages, echo effect, use of bots and troll farms to escalate messages. Economic and political effects – destabilization of markets, undermining trust in institutions, polarization of public opinion. Methods of information analysis and verification: fact-checking, source analysis, artificial intelligence tools for detecting manipulated content. Information warfare as an element of geopolitical strategy and a challenge to the information security of states.
11. Media monitoring. Media monitoring as a source of knowledge about political and economic processes. Qualitative methods: discourse analysis (linguistic and political science approaches), framing analysis, identification of dominant narratives and ways of constructing the image of reality. Narrative analysis: the role of metaphors, symbols, and emotional language in shaping public opinion. Quantitative methods: measuring the frequency of themes, analyzing trends and reach in traditional and social media. Sentiment analysis as a tool for political and economic diagnosis. Limitations: source selection, the problem of information bubbles, the impact of algorithms on the shape of public discourse.
12. Analysis of data leaks. Sources of leaks: cyberattacks, human error, weak infrastructure security, leaks in administration and business. Methods of leak analysis: identification of the source of the breach, classification of disclosed information, assessment of the credibility and significance of the material. Political consequences – disclosure of diplomatic documents, impact on state decision-making processes. Economic consequences – loss of competitive advantage, decline in trust in financial institutions and private companies. Case studies: WikiLeaks, Panama Papers, Paradise Papers. The role of the information analyst: separating relevant content from secondary content, assessing the risk of political and economic escalation. Ethical aspects: the limits of transparency and the public's right to information versus state security and individual privacy.
13. Your own information security – OPSEC. Browsers that increase privacy and reduce online tracking (Brave, LibreWolf, FireFox, Mullvad). Creating long, unique passwords and diversifying them with password managers, Passphrase vs Password. End-to-end encrypted messengers ensuring secure message exchange, Signal, Briar, Session. Virtualization, running systems in isolated environments for protection against threats. VeraCrypt, disk and file encryption as the foundation of data protection.
14. Overview of Open Source tools. Tools useful for information analysis and related to information security.
15. Mini-lectures requested by students.

Szacunkowy nakład pracy studenta: 3ECTS x 25h = 75h
(K) - godziny kontaktowe (S) - godziny pracy samodzielnej
wykład (zajęcia): 0h (K) 0h (S)
ćwiczenia (zajęcia): 30h (K) 0h (S)
egzamin: 0h (K) 0h (S)
konsultacje: 0h (K) 15h (S)
przygotowanie do ćwiczeń: 0h (K) 15h (S)
przygotowanie do wykładów: 0h (K) 0h (S)
przygotowanie do kolokwium: 0h (K) 0h (S)
przygotowanie do egzaminu: 0h (K) 0h (S)
praca z materiałami dodatkowymi : 0h (K) 15h (S)
Razem: 30h (K) + 45h (S) = 75h