Defending digital privacy
Many of the privacy and security problems that plague today’s online world are the result of a failure of system designers to consider their intended users. We perform research on human behavior to understand how people make decisions about their privacy and security and how they interact with privacy and security mechanisms. We also use the results of these studies to help inform designs, policies, and practices that result in improved privacy and security outcomes.
Our work is highly interdisciplinary. In collaboration with both social scientists (e.g., psychologists and behavioral economists) and computer scientists (e.g., systems designers and cryptographers), we apply techniques from human-computer interaction to solve computer security and online privacy problems. Some of this work involves qualitative research methods, such as interviews and ethnography, to understand the breadth of problems. Other research involves quantitative methods, such as large-scale surveys, measurement studies, and controlled experiments.
Our research has examined:
- Consumer perceptions of online privacy
- Consumers’ willingness to pay for privacy
- Usability of privacy tools and security indicators
- Mechanisms for regulating access to sensitive data
- Privacy and security of wearable and IoT devices
- Tailoring security messaging to individual users
- Improving the adoption of security technologies
Areas of focus:
- Cybersecurity for Systems, Networks, and Cloud Platforms
- Cognitive Security: Human Factors, Influence, and Resilience
- Threat Intelligence, Malware Detection, and Cyber Defense
- Usable Security and Privacy by Design
- Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) and Interaction Design
- User Experience (UX), Usability, and Interface Design
- Wearable Computing, Ubiquitous, and Pervasive Systems
- Social Media Platforms, Online Communities, and Digital Culture
- AI Ethics, Responsible AI, and Governance of Technology
- Technology Policy, Standards, and Global Governance
