Computer Science | Grinnell College

We'll be discussing the recent passing of the Stop Enabling Online Sex Trafficking Act (SESTA) and Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and its implications for human trafficking and digital privacy.

• This Slate article summarizes these developments: April Glaser, After Backpage, Slate.com. April 27, 2018.
• An optional reading is a brief article from the EFF: Elliot Harmon, How Congress Censored the Internet, Electric Frontier Foundation. March 21, 2018.

Computer science table (CS Table) is a weekly meeting of Grinnell College community members (students, faculty, staff, etc.) interested in discussing topics related to computing and computer science. CS Table meets Tuesdays from 12:00–12:45pm in JRC 224A (inside the Marketplace). Contact the CS faculty for the weekly reading. Students on meal plans, faculty, and staff are expected to cover the cost of their meals. Visitors to the College and students not on meal plans can charge their meals to the department (sign in at the Marketplace front desk).

This Friday, Jeff and Simon will be leading a discussion on Internet censorship in China. We have a few recent news stories about Google in China, plus a 2003 research study.

• Migel Helft and David Barbazoa, Google Shuts China Site in Dispute over Censorship, New York Times, March 22, 2010.
• Robert Saiget, China defends Internet 'Great Firewall', AFP, June 7, 2010.
• David Barboza and Miguel Helft, Beijing Renews Google's License in China, New York Times, July 9, 2010.
• Jonathan Bittrain and Benjamin Adelman, Empirical analysis of Internet filtering in China (plus the technical appendix), March 2003.
• Stan Shroeder, Google Fights Censorship with Transparency Report, Mashable, September 21, 2010.