Students

COMP3300 – Data Privacy and Information Security

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Annabelle McIver
annabelle.mciver@mq.edu.au
Natasha Fernandes
natasha.fernandes@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Gabriel Henrique Lopes Gomes Alves Nunes
gabriel.nunes@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Ghusoon Basheer
ghusoon.basheer@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
COMP2300 and MATH1007
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit deals with the concepts, techniques, tools, and management processes that contribute to the design and implementation of data privacy and information security requirements for IT systems and business practices. Building on techniques from probability, statistics, cryptography, and algorithms, the unit addresses topics such as encryption, privacy-preserving techniques in statistical and machine learning analysis, content security solutions, or secure data management.

Learning in this unit enhances student understanding of global challenges identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Understand and explain the concepts of data privacy and information security.
  • ULO2: Perform risk assessment (including privacy risk) on digital information and datasets.
  • ULO3: Embed privacy in the design and architecture of IT systems and business practices.
  • ULO4: Apply adapted privacy and security technologies and tools to enhance the security properties of data.
  • ULO5: Analyse the trends for managing data security.

General Assessment Information

REQUIREMENTS TO PASS THIS UNIT

To pass this unit you must achieve a total mark equal to or greater than 50%.

LATE ASSESSMENT POLICY AND PENALTY

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark of the task) will be applied for each day a written report or presentation assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. The submission time for all uploaded assessments is 11:55 pm. A 1-hour grace period will be provided to students who experience a technical concern. For any late submission of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, please apply for Special Consideration. For example, if the assignment is worth 8 marks (of the entire unit) and your submission is late by 19 hours (or 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds), 0.4 marks (5% of 8 marks) will be deducted. If your submission is late by 24 hours (or 47 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds), 0.8 marks (10% of 8 marks) will be deducted, and so on. 

Assessments where Late Submissions will be accepted

In this unit, late submissions will accepted as follows:

Assignment: YES, Standard late penalty applies.

Portfolio: YES, Standard late penalty applies.

End of semester exams: NO, Unless special consideration is granted.

RELEASE

Portfolio: Released no later than Friday 8 August.

Assignment: Released no later than Friday 29 August.

End of Semester Examination: Released no later than Friday 7 November.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATION

The Special Consideration Policy aims to support students who have been impacted by short-term circumstances or events that are serious, unavoidable and significantly disruptive, and which may affect their performance in assessment. If you experience circumstances or events that affect your ability to complete the assessments in this unit on time, please inform the convenor and submit a Special Consideration request through ask.mq.edu.au.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Portfolio of privacy skill development 20% No 09/11/2025
End of Semester Examination 40% No Week 13, 7 November 10am
Assignment 40% No 09/11/2025

Portfolio of privacy skill development

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 09/11/2025
Weighting: 20%

 

A portfolio of workshop exercises based on lecture content.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain the concepts of data privacy and information security.
  • Perform risk assessment (including privacy risk) on digital information and datasets.
  • Embed privacy in the design and architecture of IT systems and business practices.
  • Apply adapted privacy and security technologies and tools to enhance the security properties of data.

End of Semester Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 13, 7 November 10am
Weighting: 40%

 

An exam held at the end of session. This will test understanding of the material covered in the second part of the course. 

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Embed privacy in the design and architecture of IT systems and business practices.
  • Apply adapted privacy and security technologies and tools to enhance the security properties of data.
  • Analyse the trends for managing data security.

Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 09/11/2025
Weighting: 40%

 

This assignment deals with concepts learned in data privacy and information security and is due at the end of semester. 

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and explain the concepts of data privacy and information security.
  • Perform risk assessment (including privacy risk) on digital information and datasets.
  • Embed privacy in the design and architecture of IT systems and business practices.
  • Apply adapted privacy and security technologies and tools to enhance the security properties of data.
  • Analyse the trends for managing data security.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

COMPUTING FACILITIES

COMP3300 is a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). You will be expected to bring your own laptop computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux) to the workshop, install and configure the required software, and incorporate secure practices into your daily work (and play!) routines.

CLASSES

Each week you should review the weekly course content consisting of readings and videos in order to prepare for the portfolio submission. There is also a one-hour face-to-face workshop every week, and a one hour face-to-face Q&A session where you are expected to bring questions for clarification which will be answered by the lecturers. The hands-on exercises in workshops help to reinforce concepts introduced in the weekly course content. You should have chosen a workshop on enrollment. You will find it helpful to read the workshop instructions before your scheduled workshop - that way, you can get to work quickly! For details of days, times, and rooms consult the timetables webpage.

WEEK 1

Workshops commence in Week 1; the Q&A session will begin in Week 2.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS

The following textbooks contain the bulk of weekly readings:

  •     Corporate computer security, by Randall J. Boyle and Raymond R. Panko (available online from the library).
  •     Information privacy engineering and privacy by design, by William Stallings (available online from the library).
  •     The Science of Quantitative Information Flow, by M. Alvim, K. Chatzikokolakis, A. McIver, C. Morgan, C. Palamidessi, G. Smith. (available online from the library)
  •     Other material in the form of scientific papers and course notes will be made available as needed.

WEB RESOURCES

Unit Websites. COMP3300 is administered via iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/).

Videos of some material will be avaiable through iLearn.

METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

We will communicate with you via your university email and through announcements on iLearn. Queries to convenors can either be placed on the iLearn discussion board or sent to the unit convenor via the contact email on iLearn.

GENERAL NOTES  

• Engage with the course content,  go to the one hour Q&A, ask questions.

• Go to weekly workshops.

• Read appropriate sections of the text, add to your notes, and prepare questions for your lecturer or other teaching staff.

• Work on any assignments and portfolio activities that have been released.

Unit Schedule

Please refer to the course schedule on the COMP3300 iLearn pages.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2025.05 of the Handbook