SALT: Supporting the Use of Tech

Research Supporting Peoples’ Interactions with Tech Systems T he Social Computing Systems (SALT) Lab focuses on systems research in social computing, seeking deep understandings of how people interact with sociotechnical computing systems.

Researchers develop original designs that enable new forms of user/social interaction or impact existing user/social interaction. They also propose, develop and evaluate novel infrastructure solutions for a variety of social computing applications. Current research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Google and Syracuse University ADVANCE. Projects include: CROWDSOURCING

CAN (Composable Accessiblity Infrastructure) The research aims to develop a lightweight utility infrastructure, CAN (Composable Accessibility Infrastructure), where software developers share functional modules and website or mobile app developers can easily find and integrate suitable accessibility modules into their sites or apps. DPS (Public Safety) This project explores ways to improve public safety in a local community by using open crime data and crowdsourcing information. Indoor Map The goal of the Indoor Map project is creating co-location technologies that can improve awareness about and potential uses of nearby facilities, resources and services to enhance learning on university campuses. Community As Connection This effort provides a framework for crowdsourcing human knowledge and allowing people to share their knowledge as library resources. With local librarians as the centerpoint of resource coordination, the Lab designed a system to help promote community library events. Emotion Map (Community Happiness) The project seeks to understand how increased awareness of selfemotions and local community emotions can help people implement different emotion regulation strategies via designing, implementing and evaluating a mobile social app. PRIVACY AND SECURITY Accessible Authentication

Studies on authentication (logging into a website) show that this task presents many challenges for people with disabilities, and this project aims to build novel authentication mechanisms that are accessible and privacy-preserving for that population. A preliminary study of the issues and development of an accessible authentication framework, with varied authentication mechanisms, is underway. (See article on page 24.) Internet of Things (IoT)

While emerging technologies such as IoT objects and systems like wearable devices, smart home appliances and drones are enabling exciting and innovative applications that can benefit people and society, they also raise important privacy and security questions. This research aims to unravel these challenges and design mechanisms to address the issues.

CAREER NSF Award Permits Up-Close Study Of Tech Privacy Issues for Disabled/Visually Impaired Inclusive Privacy Project of SALT Lab Research

The National Science Foundation is supporting a centerpiece iSchool research project regarding computer and tech privacy management for people with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments.

The initiative is made possible through a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program grant awarded to Assistant Professor Yang Wang. The $498,000 award funds research work over a period of five years for the project, “Inclusive Privacy: Effective Privacy Management for People with Visual Impairments.”

The initiative is based in the iSchool’s SALT (Social Computing Systems) Lab. Its focus is developing novel privacy mechanisms that are accessible and usable to people with disabilities, particularly those having visual impairments. The project also aims to devise design principals for inclusive privacy mechanisms that can also support a wide range of populations. It’s a continuation of Professor Wang’s research in authentication (computer sign-on) challenges and technology privacy matters, particularly as those issues present problems for people with disabilities.

NEW METHODS, NEW INSIGHTS In its first phase this year, Wang and his research team conducted ethnographic studies. They specifically chose to use a shadowing methodology, with researchers spending between five and eight hours a day for a number of days with the visually impaired persons in the study. Researchers observed how the subjects used their computers for everyday tasks and how they interacted with technologies. The studies were conducted within the subjects’ social settings to provide a wider view of their situations and challenges. In addition, the studies included the “allies” of the subjects—people who assist and interact with them on a daily basis. Most studies have examined persons with visual disabilities isolated from their environment, however, this method provided a perspective of the subjects as persons with multifaceted identities, Wang says, and that aspect shed new light on how those with visual impairments do things, he adds.

“The life experiences of people with visual impairments has significantly changed my view on how we should approach the design for this population. Before, like most scholars, we were thinking in terms of just designing for them. However, you have to understand their social interactions. You can’t just consider them on their own; you have to consider the people they interact with.” “It’s interesting because what we learn through the shadowing significantly changes the way we think about the problem space as well as the design space. So many aspects of identify shape the subjects’ daily experiences,” he continues. “We have to ask, ‘What are the real life challenges by people faced with visual challenges, especially regarding implications for their privacy and security?’” In addition to the observation sessions, follow-up interviews were conducted with study subjects to provide a comprehensive picture of the challenges the subjects faced.

NEXT: DESIGN SESSIONS In the next phase, the research team will again work closely with visually impaired users. Users will provide input and feedback as an integral part of the co-design process as the researchers develop privacy mechanisms, Wang says.

The final phase of the project focuses on applying the project’s findings and newly created tools to other underserved populations beyond people who are visually impaired. Wang says the process of testing and learning for visually impaired users will permit researchers to see what other steps can be applied or adapted to serve populations with cognitive impairments, as well as the elderly, and how design principles for inclusive privacy mechanisms might be applied.

The NSF CAREER award is one of the Foundation’s most prestigious. It is designed to support early career development activities of scholars who most effectively integrate research and education efforts, as well as those who comprise role models for their institutions.

Wang is fulfilling the educational component of the award with privacy tutorials for the targeted populations. He is partnering in Syracuse with ARISE, a nonprofit organization that provides services and support to people with disabilities, to provide internet privacy and security tutorials and workshops in the community about privacy protection best practices. n

SALT Lab research students and their families enjoy a summer picnic.

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Privacy Mirror This research aims to provide ordinary Internet users with transparency and control in different application domains (online tracking/ behavioral advertising and Android app permissions). The work investigates two main ideas: individualized mental models of privacy and a universal privacy dashboard.

Mobile Social Systems With mobile social systems such as WhatsApp and WeChat gaining adoption worldwide, how people interact and socialize on these platforms has become an important question for research, and the research team is exploring those issues.

Privacy Nudges Anecdotal evidence and scholarly research have shown that Internet users may regret some of their online disclosures, and this project explores a “soft-paternalistic” approach to Internet use that helps individuals avoid such regrets. Researchers have designed mechanisms that nudge users to consider the content and audience of their online disclosures more carefully, while researchers continue to study when to invoke those nudging mechanisms.The project also involves the Privacy Nudge Team at Carnegie Mellon University.

Research Team The research team includes faculty members: Yang Wang and Yun Huang (co-directors); Wenliang (Kevin) Du (of the School of Computer Science and Engineering at SU); Jeff Hemsley, Jian Qin and Bryan Semaan, of the iSchool; Ines Mergel and Corey White, of the Maxwell School and School of Arts and Sciences, respectively, at Syracuse University; and R. David Lankes, now director of the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science.

The Advisory Board consists of:Lorrie Faith Cranor,ACM Fellow,Federal Trade Commission chief technologist,professor atCarnegie Mellon University; Kevin Crowston,Associate Dean for Research and distinguished professor of information science at the iSchool; and Ping Zhang,founding co editor-in-chief(AIS THCI) and professor at the iSchool.