Evaluating and Enhancing Privacy and Information Sharing in Online Social Networks

这项研究的目标是评估在线社交网络中与信息共享相关的隐私风险，并提出有效的缓解策略，在保护有价值的在线交互的同时增强隐私。近年来，Friendster、MySpace或Facebook等在线社交网站的会员人数呈指数级增长。这些网络是以计算机为媒介的社会互动的成功范例。然而，它们也引发了新的隐私问题。这项研究将量化在线社交网络中与信息共享相关的风险，提高人们对这些风险和缓解风险的方法的认识，从而帮助提高这些网络的可用性和价值。首先，它将评估社交网站上公开提供的信息可能被用来收集关于个人的额外且可能更敏感的数据的风险。具体地说，它将评估个人的社会安全号码可能从普通社交网络数据中估计出来的风险--以及随之而来的身份被盗威胁。其次，它将评估社交网站上公开提供的信息可能被用来在伪匿名数据背景下重新识别个人身份的风险。具体地说，它将评估在其他伪匿名网站上发布自己图像的个人可能被使用标准人脸识别技术和公开可用的社交网络数据进行个人身份识别的风险。第三，它将设计和评估适当的工具，以降低通过之前的研究检测到的风险水平，以便在不破坏信息共享的情况下增强在线社交网络的隐私。在线社交网络不再是一种小众现象；数百万人使用它们进行交流、社交或约会。因此，与在线社交网络相关的安全和隐私风险变得很大。因此，向用户提供隐私意识的工具以及向公共机构和社交网络提供商提供政策方向至关重要。然而，这项研究的影响范围更广。在线社交网络只是当今个人在线分享个人信息的一种方式。借助计算机中介的通信，不仅可以轻松地共享信息和进行交互，还可以挖掘、存储和分析数据。这项研究的更广泛的目标是评估并在必要时提高人们对与计算机中介的社会系统中的信息共享相关的新颖权衡的认识。这一结果将提供有关计算机中介沟通如何创造新机会和新威胁的洞察力。这种洞察将有助于政府机构制定政策；有助于个人自我认识和控制；有助于私营部门实体告知他们其架构中的潜在漏洞。

The goal of this research is to evaluate the privacy risks associated with information sharing in online social networks and to propose efficient mitigation strategies that may enhance privacy while preserving valuable online interaction. Online social networks such as Friendster, MySpace, or the Facebook have experienced exponential growth in membership in recent years. These networks are successful examples of computer-mediated social interaction. However, they also raise novel privacy concerns. This research will quantify the risks associated with information sharing in online social networks, increase awareness about those risks and ways to mitigate them, and therefore help increase the usability and value of those networks.This project will carry out three main activities. First, it will evaluate the risks that information publicly provided on a social networking site may be used to gather additional and potentially more sensitive data about an individual. Specifically, it will evaluate the risks that an individual's social security number may be estimated from ordinary social network data - with the ensuing threat of identity theft. Second, it will evaluate the risks that information publicly provided on a social networking site may be used to re-identify an individual in the context of pseudo-anonymous data. Specifically, it will evaluate the risk that an individual who posts images of him/herself in otherwise pseudo-anonymous sites may be personally identified using standard face recognition technologies and publicly available social network data. Third, it will design and evaluate appropriate tools to mitigate the level of risk detected through the previous studies, in order to enhance privacy in online social networks without disrupting information sharing. Online social networks are no longer a niche phenomenon; millions use them for communicating, networking, or dating. Security and privacy risks associated with online social networks therefore become significant. Hence, it is crucial to provide tools for privacy-awareness to users and directions for policy to public agencies as well as social network providers. However, the implications of this study are broader. Online social networks are just one way through which individuals today share personal information online. Computer-mediated communication makes it easy to share information and interact, but also to mine, store, and analyze that data. The wider goal of the research is to evaluate and, if necessary, raise awareness about the novel trade-offs associated with information sharing in computer-mediated social systems. The results will provide insight on how computer-mediated communication is creating new opportunities and threats. Such insight will be of use to government agencies for policy making; to individuals for self-awareness and control; and to private sector entities to inform them about potential vulnerabilities in their architectures.