Seminars & Colloquia
Yixin Zou
University of Michigan
"Improving People’s Security and Privacy Behaviors"
Thursday March 31, 2022 01:15 PM
Location: 3211, EB2 NCSU Centennial Campus
Google/Zoom Meeting Info (Visitor parking instructions)
In this talk, I share my research on improving people’s security and privacy behaviors in three contexts: understanding consumer reactions to data breaches, designing icons that convey privacy controls, and supporting survivors of tech-enabled abuse. (1) Data breaches are affecting millions of U.S. consumers. I empirically show consumers’ low awareness of data breaches, rational justifications and biases behind inaction, and implications for improving breach notifications to better motivate action. (2) Public policy is essential in incentivizing companies to implement better data practices, but policymaking needs to be informed by evidence from research. I co-led a series of user studies that resulted in a user-tested icon for conveying the “do not sell my personal information” opt-out, now part of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). (3) Different populations face different challenges and constraints, requiring special considerations in developing and deploying interventions. Drawing on findings from focus groups, I discuss guidelines for computer security support agents to help survivors of tech-enabled abuse with care and caution. Altogether, I highlight the impact of my research on technology, public policy, and educational efforts. I also discuss how I apply this interdisciplinary, human-centered approach in solving security and privacy challenges to future work such as improving expert advice and developing trauma-informed computing systems.
Host: William Enck, CSC