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We describe quantum information schemes involving photon polarization and the spin of a single electron trapped in a self-assembled quantum dot. Such schemes are based on spin-selective reflection in the weak-coupling regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics. We discuss their practical implementation in oxide-apertured micropillar cavities. We introduce a technique, based on the creation of small surface defects by means of a focused intense laser beam, to permanently tune the optical properties of the microcavity without damaging the cavity quality. This technique allows low-temperature polarization-selective tuning of the frequencies of the cavity modes and the quantum dot optical transitions.