I'm defending my dissertation!

When: 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, May 8th.
Where: Bloomberg 497 at Cornell Tech and online via Zoom (email me for a calendar hold)
Committee members: Nicki Dell, Deborah Estrin, Thomas Ristenpart, Karen Levy

Abstract

Platforms, devices, and algorithms are increasingly weaponized to control and harass the most vulnerable among us. Some of these harms occur at the individual and interpersonal level: for example, abusers in intimate partner violence (IPV) use smartphones and social media to surveil and stalk their victims. Others are more subtle, at the level of social structure: for example, in organizations, workplace technologies can inadvertently scaffold exploitative labor practices. This talk will discuss my research (1) investigating these harms via online measurement studies, (2) building interventions to directly assist survivors with their security and privacy; and (3) instrumenting these interventions as observatories, to enable scientific research into new types of harms as attackers and technologies evolve. I will close by sharing my vision for centering inclusion and equity in digital safety, security and privacy, towards brighter technological futures for us all.

What to expect

I'll give a talk for ~45 minutes, and then there will be a Q&A period with the audience.

Note: My talk will include discussion of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, stalking, and harassment. If that will be difficult for you to hear, no worries, please feel free to take care of yourself however you need to.