Approaches to Authentication and Security: Views from Law, Economics, and the Scientific Disciplines

Abstract

This course examines disciplinary boundaries and synergies in the definition and treatment of authentication and security. We use the complementary lenses of law, empirical social science, and the engineering disciplines to see how authentication and security may be improved by a multi-disciplinary perspective, to see how law and policy can be more responsive to technical realities, and vice versa

Objective

Understand how defining terms “authentication” and “security” can impact the implementation of these values - Identify opportunities for enhanced inter-disciplinary work between law, social science, and the engineering disciplines - Identify potential future conflicts between legal and mathematical definitions related to verification, security, and enforcement

Content

As human behavior increasingly moves online, the use of widely different methodologies to control human behavior, namely law and digital systems, are increasingly likely to overlap in their areas of application and effect on human behavior. However, different relevant disciplinary approaches understanding, coordinating, and regulating human activities take drastically different approaches even as their domain of application overlaps. ● Law prescribes ● Social sciences describes ● Engineering disciplines explain, mechanize. and predict This four half-day online seminar will draw widely from texts treating topics related to authentication and security. We will explore how these topics are defined and treated quite differently in different disciplines. We will also look for convergence, feedback, or conceptual borrowing between these disciplines. We will particularly emphasize a search to find new opportunities for enhanced and more intentional interactions between law, empirical social science, and state-of-the-art applied machine learning use cases. The course will take place via Zoom on two successive weekends for half days on Friday and Saturday in November. The course will be a mix of seminar-style discussion of assigned readings and guest lectures from spekers who can address the current state of security scholarship in the three relevant disciplines. We expect to draw from a wide number of classic and state-of-the-art disciplinary texts. For this reason, students are expected to have a basic understanding of statistical and machine learning methods, basic sciences, and some familiarity with the state of the art in their respective fields of study. Various legal and social science research methods and concepts will be introduced as needed. Students are not expected to bring a social science or legal background into the course but will acquire a familiarity with core concepts as relevant during class discussion.

Resources