Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:12:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Luiz Cardoso Tavares Antonio.pdf: 2931769 bytes, checksum: c12f1f7878bdb9156a9577243aa400c4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study aims to examine how communicational relationships are established between Anonymous collective and the mass media such as television, radio and print media. Anonymous began as a small group of internet users seeking fun in the imageboard 4chan. Later on, the group gained a more serious stance, chasing free exchange information, freedom of speech and free Internet usage. It has become a media phenomenon that resulted in a collective of cyberactivists with unclear political objectives and became popular after being recognized for: shutting down government websites, confidential information leakage and stolen data. The goal of this research is to (i) demonstrate how media builded and explored an image of a collective that is mobilized through social networks to organize concomitant protests in several parts of the world and (ii) explain how media uses Anonymous for their own ends and, in the Brazilian case, how it has appropriated Guy Fawkes mask as a symbol against corruption / O presente trabalho visa a analisar como se estabelecem as relações comunicacionais entre o Coletivo Anonymous e as mídias de massa, como a televisão, rádio e os meios impressos. O Anonymous nasceu como um pequeno grupo de usuários de internet no imageboard 4chan que buscava diversão e, posteriormente, assumiu uma imagem mais séria em busca da liberdade para a troca de informações, liberdade de expressão e livre utilização da internet. Tornou-se um fenômeno midiático resultante em um coletivo de ciberativistas com objetivos pseudo políticos, nem sempre declarados, e se popularizou após receberem os créditos de uma série de ataques virtuais que resultaram na queda de sites governamentais, vazamento de informações confidenciais de pessoas públicas e seqüestro de dados. O objetivo desta pesquisa é (i) demonstrar como a mídia construiu e explorou a imagem de um coletivo que se mobiliza através de redes sociais para organizar protestos concomitantes em diversos lugares do mundo e (ii) explicar como a mídia se utiliza do Anonymous para seus próprios fins, e no caso do Brasil, apropriando-se da máscara de Guy Fawkes como um símbolo de combate à corrupção

Cryptography is science of secure message transmission. Cryptanalysis is involved with breaking these encrypted messages. Both cryptography and cryptanalysis constitute together to form cryptology. Anonymity means namelessness i.e., the quality or state of being unknown while authenticity translates to the quality or condition of being authentic or genuine. Anonymity and authenticity are two different embodiments of personal secrecy. Modern power has increased in its capacity to designate individuals, due to which they find it inconvenient to continue communicating, remaining anonymous. In this thesis we are going to describe an anonymous system which consists of a number of entities which are anonymous and are communicating with each other without revealing their identity and at the same time maintaining their authenticity such that an anonymous entity(sayE1)will be able to verify that, the message it received from another anonymous entity(sayE2)subsequent to an initial message from E2, are in fact from E2 itself. Later when E2 tries to recommend a similar communication to E1 with another anonymous entity E3 in the system, E1 must be able to verify that recommendation, without E2 losing its authenticity of its communication with E1 to E3. This thesis is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to cryptography, symmetric key cryptography and public key cryptography. It also summarizes the contribution of this thesis. The second chapter gives various protocol for the above problem ’Anonymity with Authenticity’ along with its extension. Totally six protocols are proposed for the above problem. In third chapter all these six protocols are realized using four different schemes, where each scheme has its own pros and cons. The fourth and final chapter concludes with a note on what possible factors these four different realization schemes need to be chosen and other possible realization schemes.

Syftet med studien var att med kvalitativ forskningsmetod undersöka vilka tankar och attityder individer ur civilsamhället som varit utsatta för eller bevittnat ett brott och sakkunniga inom rättsväsendet har kring fenomenet anonyma vittnen. Vi ämnade även undersöka om en tillämpning av anonyma vittnen i svenska domstolar skulle förändra respondenternas syn på sin egen benägenhet att vittna. Slutligen undersökte studien om respondenterna upplevde att rättssäkerheten skulle komma att påverkas om det svenska rättsväsendet skulle tillåta anonyma vittnen. Tio personer intervjuades, varav hälften var anställda av rättsväsendet och hälften var civila utanför rättsväsendet. Intervjudatan analyserades med tematisk analys. Resultatet visade att respondenterna från civilsamhället i stort var positiva till att fullfölja sin vittnesplikt så länge det inte fanns någon hotbild. Förekom det en hotbild skulle de endast kunna tänka sig att vittna anonymt. Resultatet visade vidare att majoriteten av respondenterna från rättsväsendet ansåg att rättssystemet var eftersatt när det kom till att bekämpa den grova och organiserade brottsligheten. Några respondenter menade att anonyma vittnen kunde vara en väg att gå för att göra samhället mer rättssäkert då vittnesplikten i vissa fall spelat ut sin roll. Resultatet visade även att både respondenter från civilsamhället och rättsväsendet ansåg att det fanns utmaningar i praktiken med en tillämpning av anonyma vittnen. Båda grupperna kunde peka på både rättspsykologiska och juridiska fördelar och nackdelar med anonyma vittnen.Slutsatsen är att anonyma vittnen kan göra att benägenheten att vittna ökar från civilsamhällets sida. Det finns en möjlighet att anonyma vittnen kan göra samhället både mer rättssäkert och mindre rättssäkert. Det är ett ämne som bör undersökas mer noggrant genom att väga både fördelar och nackdelar. / With the help of a qualitative research method the purpose of the study was to analyze the thoughts and attitudes of the general public (who have been exposed to/or witnessed a crime) as well as experts in the judicial system, regarding the phenomenon of anonymous witnesses. We also intended to examine whether an application of ‘anonymous witnesses’ in Swedish courts would make the respondents more or less inclined to testify. Finally, the study would examine whether the respondents felt that legal certainty would be affected if the Swedish judicial system allowed anonymous witnesses. Ten people were interviewed, half of whom were employees of the judiciary and half were civilians outside the judiciary. The interview data was analyzed with thematic analysis. The result showed that the general public was positive to testify as long as there was no threat scenario. If there was a threat scenario, they would only consider testifying anonymously. The result also showed that the majority of respondents from the judiciary felt that the legal system was neglected when it came to fight the major and organized crime. Some argued that anonymous witnesses could be an approach to make society more legally certain as the obligation to testify in some cases no longer is needed. The results also showed that both respondents from the general public and the judiciary considered it to be a challenge when using anonymous witnesses in practice. Both groups could point to both psychological and legal benefits and disadvantages of anonymous witnesses.The conclusion is that anonymous witnesses can make the general public’s propensity to witness increase. There is a possibility that anonymous witnesses can make society both more legally certain and less legally certain and it should be subject to closer examination by weighing both advantages and disadvantages against each other.

This master's thesis describes importing the ontology in language OWL 2 into the internal structures of 4A annotation server. It is concerned in anonymous nodes, for example in anonymous classes or anonymous properties. The solution was to use the library The OWL API for import ontology. The solution also allows automatic generation of names to anonymous classes and properties.

Twelve step organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous are free, community-based fellowships. Such organizations are the most widely sought recovery management options, surpassing professional treatment. The emerging evidence base suggests that involvement in such organizations is associated with positive substance-related outcomes (e.g., abstinence). Relatively speaking, however, far less is known about whether or not involvement is associated with other meaningful psychosocial constructs. The current study examined gratitude, meaning in life, life satisfaction, personal growth, and various other recovery and psychosocial constructs in a sample of self-identified NA members (N = 128) from 26 U.S. states, ranging in age from 22 to 64 years. The primary aim of the present study was to psychometrically evaluate and refine four distinct positive psychology instruments (i.e., Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ – 6), Meaning in Life Scale (MLQ), Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS)). The current study contained three phases. First, the psychometric properties of each instrument were examined within an Item Response Theory measurement framework. The Rating Scale Model was used to evaluate the each instrument using WINSTEPS 3.74.01. With the exception of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (which did not conform to an IRT measurement model), each instrument was iteratively refined based on statistical and clinical considerations, resulting in the collapse of response options and the removal of poorly fitting items. These refinements improved the psychometric properties of each instrument, resulting in a more reliable, accurate, and efficient way to measure gratitude, life satisfaction, and personal growth in clinical samples. Second, items from the GQ – 6, SWLS, and PGIS were examined concurrently using the PROC IRT procedure in SAS to explore whether the constructs were distinct from one another. Results provide support that gratitude, life satisfaction, and personal growth are unique and distinct constructs. Last, the study examined several recovery-related correlates of gratitude, life satisfaction, and personal growth. Hierarchical regression models assessed whether abstinence duration and other recovery-related variables accounted for significant incremental variance in gratitude, life satisfaction, and personal growth, over and above several covariates. As a block, abstinence duration and recovery predictors accounted for significant incremental variance in all of the constructs. These data suggest ongoing recovery involvement in 12-step organizations may be associated with positive outcomes beyond abstinence. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

This research examines the disclosure of psychological distress by university students on an anonymous mobile application called Yik Yak which allows users to communicate anonymously with other local individuals, creating virtual communities. Using online ethnography and qualitative analysis, I examine what the narratives presented by Yik Yak users reveals about the mental health concerns of University of Manitoba students and the characteristics of this virtual community. The findings show that exam anxiety and academic stress, depression, suicidality, anxiety, sleep disturbance, excessive stress, loneliness, sadness, and loss of motivation, were significant sources of distress, especially during final exam periods. Thematic analysis indicated that emotion-sharing on the app fosters social support, a sense of belonging, and helps build community. Individuals are also able to disclose repressed selves and counter stigmatizing beliefs. Examining distress disclosure by individuals on this anonymous platform may help develop better interventions and mental health programming for students. / October 2016

Private Information Retrieval (PIR) protocols enable a client to access data from a server without revealing what data was accessed. The study of Computational Private Information Retrieval (CPIR) protocols, an area of PIR protocols focusing on computational security, has been a recently reinvigorated area of focus in the study of cryptography. However, CPIR protocols still have not been utilized in any practical applications. The aim of this thesis is to determine whether the Melchor Gaborit CPIR protocol can be successfully utilized in a practical manner in an anonymous peer-to-peer environment.

Thesis advisor: Ana M. Martínez-Alemán / College students today are the most connected and social media savvy generation in the history of higher education (Junco & Cole-Avent, 2008) and maintain constant connections to online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (Clem & Junco, 2015). Social media are now understood as a central component of campus and student life across colleges and universities (Martínez-Alemán & Wartman, 2009). Coinciding with the proliferation of social media use has been a rise in racialized hostilities on online settings. These offenses often target racially minoritized students, and scholars have become increasingly interested in understanding the ways this antagonism on social media impacts college student experiences (Tynes, Rose, & Markoe, 2013), including Asian Americans (Museus & Truong, 2013).         This dissertation uses a critical race theory framework to examine the racialized environment on social media, how Asian American college students experience racialized aggressions, and how their sense of belonging is impacted by racially hostile online encounters. This dissertation addresses the following question: How do encounters with racialized aggressions on social media impact Asian American students’ sense of belonging at a PWI? 29 participants from a predominantly white institution, East Oak University, engaged in individual interviews, participant observations, artifact collection, and focus groups as part of this study. The findings of this study suggest that the encounter of racialized aggressions on social media, especially those on the anonymous platform Yik Yak, are detrimental in facilitating positive sense of belonging among Asian Americans at East Oak. These online racialized encounters are asserted to be rooted in the endemic nature of racism at East Oak, and the claiming of social media as a property that enabled Whites to define and dictate campus culture by engaging in racist discourse. The nature of these online communications speaks to the ways that social media is suggested to influence both sense of belonging and institutional racial climates on today’s college campuses. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

A argumentação desenvolvida nesse trabalho gira em torno da ideia de que a partir da fase imperialista do capital, a especulação encontrou solo fértil para o seu pleno desenvolvimento. A estreita conexão existente entre a esfera monetária e financeira, e a esfera real e produtiva no imperialismo capitalista deu origem ao capital financeiro. Com o domínio das sociedades anônimas sobre a estrutura da economia capitalista deu-se grande impulso ao sistema de crédito (devido à necessidade de financiamento das sociedades por ações por intermédio da Bolsa de Valores), o que propiciou as condições para o desenvolvimento do capital fictício. / The argument developed in this paper revolves around the idea that from the imperialist phase of capital, speculation has found fertile ground for its full development. The close connection between the monetary and financial sphere and the real and productive sphere in capitalist imperialism gave rise to financial capital. With the dominance of corporations on the structure of the capitalist economy, the credit system was given great impetus (due to the need to finance stock companies through the Stock Exchange), which provided the conditions for the development of fictitious capital.

O tema central desta tese é o papel do grupo Alcoólicos Anônimos frente ao alcoolismo, suas implicações sociais e as alternativas com as quais os sujeitos alcoolistas podem contar no campo da saúde pública e coletiva. A OMS, Organização Mundial da Saúde, estima que 140 milhões de pessoas no mundo sejam dependentes de álcool. O Estado em crise e as políticas neoliberais não atendem as demandas por saúde da sociedade, obrigando a mobilização de grupos da sociedade civil como o A.A. As reuniões do Alcoólicos Anônimos constituem um espaço de cidadania que oferecem aos sujeitos adictos a possibilidade de transformação de um estado de impotência, diante do consumo excessivo de bebidas alcoólicas, para a condição de sobriedade e de empoderamento social. Os objetivos da tese são caracterizar a experiência comunitária dos adictos no âmbito do A.A., os processos comunicacionais desenvolvidos pelos membros do grupo e analisar a importância dos discursos, dos diálogos e da conversação como experiência significativa para a transformação dos sujeitos alcoolistas em indivíduos sóbrios. A pesquisa qualitativa embasou-se no modelo epistemológico construtivo- interpretativo por meio de uma análise de um conjunto de sete a 21 adictos do A.A., pertencente ao Grupo Aliança de Jundiaí, no estado de São Paulo. Foram utilizados os seguintes instrumentos: pesquisa de campo com observação participante (estruturada artificialmente); entrevista padronizada e estruturada; análise documental dos discursos dos frequentadores da instituição; e pesquisa bibliográfica. Os métodos de pesquisa empregados foram: a Análise do Discurso (AD); a Análise da Conversação (AC); e o Método Etnográfico. Concluiu-se que o A.A. constitui uma comunidade na qual se compartilha um \"lugar comum\" denominado ¨Grupo-Base¨ e identificou-se neste espaço comunitário o compartilhamento de ideias e o acolhimento de indivíduos em busca de recuperação do alcoolismo. Identificou-se que o Grupo-Base possibilita às pessoas a obtenção de maior controle sobre as ações e as decisões que afetam a sua saúde. Na comunicação interativa oferecida pelo A.A. há a possibilidade de as pessoas não serem somente destinatárias da comunicação, mas interlocutores na conversação sobre a sua própria condição de saúde. Desvelou-se na tese que a experiência do alcoolismo se constrói em uma ordem de sentido, dentro do qual os significados da experiência da doença e da saúde são construídos. Concluiu-se nas falas e nos escritos dos membros da irmandade que é recorrente a citação de valores espirituais como elemento central na recuperação da saúde dos adictos. / The main subject of this thesis is the role of the Alcoholic Anonymous group facing alcoholism, its social repercussions and the alternatives with which the alcoholic subjects can rely on in the public and collective health care fields. The WHS, World Health Organization estimates that 140 million people in the world are alcohol addicts. The Federal Estate being in crisis and the neoliberal policies do not meet the demand for healthcare by the society, compelling the mobilization of groups in the civil society such as the AA. The AA meetings embody a space of citizenship which provides the addicted subjects the possibility of transformation from a helpless situation, in the face of excessive intake of alcoholic beverages, to an abstinence condition and to a social empowerment. The objectives of the thesis are to characterize the communal experience of the addicted in the AA sphere, the communicational processes developed by the members of the group and to analyze the importance of the speeches, the dialogues and the conversations as significant experiences for the transformation of the alcoholic subjects into sober individuals. The qualitative research was based on the constructive-explanatory epistemological model, through a typification of a group of 7 to 21 addicts from the AA, who belong to the \'Grupo Aliança de Jundiaí\', in the state of São Paulo. The following tools were used: field research with participating observation (artificially structured); structured and standardized interview; documental analysis of the speeches by the institution frequenters and bibliographic research. The research methods used were: the Speech Analysis (SA); the Conversation Analysis (CA) and the Etnographic Method (EM). It was concluded that the AA represents a community in which a \"common space\" is shared which is called \"Base-group\" and in this community space the sharing of ideas and the welcoming of individuals in search of recovering from alcoholism is identified. It was identified that the \"Base-group\" enables the people to obtain a greater control over the actions and decisions which affect their health. In the interactive communication offered by the AA there is the possibility of the people not being the receivers of the communication, but interlocutors in the conversation about their own health condition. The thesis shows that the alcoholism experience is built on a meaningful order, upon which the significance of the disease and the health are built. It was concluded that in the writings and speeches of the brotherhood members the citation of spiritual values is a central element to the health recovery of the addicts.