Dr. Frederica Darema Lecture Series presents Marshini Chetty - "Imagine All The People On A Trustworthy Internet"
Abstract:
Imagine a world where the Internet caters to all types of users
and hosts trustworthy content. Right now, this world seems far off for many reasons. For instance, this world would require us to think more broadly of user needs beyond an `average’ tech-savvy adult user—one who is assumed to be always online with a reliable Internet connection. Moreover, this world would require us to host content that is not misleading or manipulative in some way—content that can be evaluated at face value by various users. To achieve this lofty goal, we first need to deeply understand and catalogue different types of Internet users’ needs and also develop ways to assess and
make misleading online content more apparent to end-users.
In this talk, I will present a set of case studies from my research lab that helps further the goal of a trustworthy Internet for all. I will describe various projects geared at understanding a wide variety of Internet users’ needs for online privacy and security in different contexts from children to those in developing contexts. I will also describe work to determine
different kinds of misleading content online such as `dark patterns’ and disguised advertisements and show solutions to help users to better evaluate this content. These case studies will demonstrate how important it is to study the privacy and security needs of those who do not fit the “average” user mold and demonstrate possible solutions for helping users gain more trust in information on the Internet. I conclude with open questions for imagining an Internet which is more trustworthy and inclusive to all people.
Bio:
Marshini Chetty, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, directs the AIR Lab. She specializes in human-computer interaction, usable privacy and security, and ubiquitous computing. Her work has won best paper and honorable mention awards at SOUPS, CHI, and CSCW, and she was a co-recipient of the Annual
Privacy Papers for Policymakers award. Her research has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Washington Journal, BBC, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, WIRED,
and Slashdot. She has received generous funding from the National Science Foundation, through grants and a CAREER award, as well as the National Security Agency, Facebook, and multiple Google Faculty Research Awards.
Marshini started her journey in the USA after she completed her MSc., BSc.(Hons), and BSc. in Computer Science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa (her beautiful home country). She received her PhD in Human-Centered Computing from Georgia Institute of Technology. Marshini subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Tech’s College of Computing with W. Keith Edwards. Following another postdoctoral fellowship at Research ICT Africa, she also held faculty positions at University of Maryland, College Park, and Princeton University before moving to Chicago.
About the Dr. Frederica Darema Lecture Series:
The Illinois Institute of Technology College of Computing’s Dr. Frederica Darema Lecture Series in Computer Science is a permanent fund that helps advance female and minority early-stage computer science researchers at U.S. academic institutions.
The lecture series is designed to encourage women and individuals from under-represented groups to pursue academic careers in computer sciences, and to focus on providing speaking opportunities for tenure track assistant professors (or the equivalent) at U.S. institutions in their fourth to sixth year. Lectureships may also be awarded to exceptional junior researchers in U.S. federal or industrial research laboratories in the third to fifth years of their careers, following doctoral/postdoctoral studies.
Please note: Face coverings will be required. Even if you are fully vaccinated, all students, staff, faculty, and guests must wear a face covering indoors. The university will review and revise the mask protocol as appropriate given changes to state and city public-health guidelines.