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UID:pretalx-coscup-2026-UY8UQN@pretalx.coscup.org
DTSTART;TZID=CST:20260809T100000
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DESCRIPTION:"The Internet is a big network of computers all over the world 
 connected to each other" - most of us have probably come across an explana
 tion such as this when trying to learn how it all works. However\, this do
 es not explain anything at a technical level – what is really happening 
 when you type “google.com” in your browser and hit enter?\n\nWhy does 
 “google.com” work\, but some\, ahem\, other websites get blocked? How?
  Can the person sitting next to you in a coffee shop really steal all your
  data unless you use “CompanyVPN”? (Don’t forget to use code TOR_OR_
 BUST for 1337% off!)\n\nThere is a lot that goes into making the internet 
 work\, and there are a lot of (mostly legitimate) parties between you and 
 the website you’re visiting. Understanding how it all works is key to un
 derstanding how this system is (ab)used to perform surveillance\, block ac
 cess\, and steal data. \n\nThis talk aims to first explain some basic conc
 epts of how two parties can communicate over the internet via “packets
 ”\, analogous to postcards (ever sent those?!). Through this analogy\, w
 e’ll learn exactly who sits in the middle\, what can they see and can th
 ey change.  You'll come to appreciate how brittle parts of Internet infras
 tructure can be\, the number of parties that need to cooperate across the 
 world\, and maybe end up surprised that any of it works at all.\n\nWe’ll
  also explore how bad actors can tamper with the “Postcards” - explain
 ing how censors work\, or how information is leaked\, even in 2026 with al
 l the decades of improvements since the 80s.\nBy the end\, you’ll either
  be surprised to learn how private the internet is by default\, or end up 
 annoyed at how some stuff still gets out! And of course\, you will start j
 udging the predatory VPN advertising more harshly.
DTSTAMP:20260713T111003Z
LOCATION:TR510
SUMMARY:The Workings of the Internet or: How Censors Block You From Website
 s - Raghu
URL:https://pretalx.coscup.org/coscup-2026/talk/UY8UQN/
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