Privacy Engineering

2025/2026

Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

Informational privacy is today an integrated element of digital services. Businesses and organisations that store or process personal information must protect users’ privacy. The privacy engineering course examines privacy as a concept and its practical implications. Furthermore, the relation to cyber security and trust is discussed. Specifically, the course addresses GDPR and its implications for software developers and organizations. The course discusses technical solutions to provide privacy, the integration of privacy into the design process and privacy as expressed in interface design.

Learning objectives

Knowledge

The student must have knowledge of:

  • The concept "privacy", as understood in application contexts such as: service development, finance, legislation, etc.
  • The concept of "privacy" from a moral-ethical perspective
  • The concept of "privacy" in technical solutions
  • System development-relevant principles for “privacy by design” and “privacy by default”
  • Principles for privacy assessments (risk assessments)
  • Privacy controlling / privacy protective technologies
  • The relationship between privacy and the concepts of cyber-security, trust and risk
  • User profiling and privacy
  • Conflicts of interest related to the development of privacy protection solutions
  • Communicating privacy issues and choices to users via interfaces

Skills

The student should be able to:

  • Analyse cases from both technical, business and user perspectives
  • Apply the different understandings of privacy in analyses of technologies
  • Explain the principles of "privacy by design" and "privacy by default"
  • Evaluate different privacy principles in selected cases
  • Classify various privacy control / protective technologies
  • Use different methods to investigate and assess privacy

Competences

The student must have competences to:

  • Assess different privacy understandings in various examples
  • Apply different privacy principles to selected examples
  • Understand the difference between different privacy principles and security principles
  • Apply privacy assessment principles in selected cases and assess their suitability

Type of instruction

Types of instruction are listed at the start of §17; Structure and contents of the programme.

Exam

Exams

Name of examPrivacy Engineering
Type of exam
Written or oral exam
ECTS5
Assessment7-point grading scale
Type of gradingInternal examination
Criteria of assessmentThe criteria of assessment are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures

Facts about the module

Danish titlePrivacy Engineering
Module codeESNCYSK3K2
Module typeCourse
Duration1 semester
SemesterAutumn
ECTS5
Language of instructionEnglish
Empty-place SchemeYes
Location of the lectureCampus Copenhagen
Responsible for the module

Organisation

Study BoardStudy Board of Electronics and IT
DepartmentDepartment of Electronic Systems
FacultyThe Technical Faculty of IT and Design