CS Colloquium: Amir Houmansadr (UMass Amherst) - The Road Not Taken: Towards Proactive Research on Internet Censorship

Speaker: Amir Houmansadr, UMass Amherst

Talk Title: The Road Not Taken: Towards Proactive Research on Internet Censorship

Abstract: Internet censorship poses a major threat to free speech and open access to information worldwide. While numerous tools exist to bypass censorship, they often fail to provide censored users with effective and reliable solutions. A key reason for this inefficacy is the reactive nature of circumvention tool development—developers modify their tools in response to censorship tactics, allowing censors to maintain the upper hand in this ongoing arms race. In this talk, I will make the case for a proactive approach to censorship circumvention research and share insights from our ongoing efforts towards proactive circumvention. 
As AI continues to transform Internet services, I argue that the future of Internet security is inextricably linked to AI. I will also outline my vision for safeguarding online freedom and security in the age of AI, exploring both its potential and the challenges it presents.
 
This lecture satisfies requirements for CSCI 591: Research Colloquium

Biography: Amir Houmansadr is an Associate Professor of computer science at UMass Amherst. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Austin. Amir is broadly interested in the security and privacy of networked/AI systems. To that end, he designs and deploys privacy-enhancing technologies, analyzes network protocols and services (e.g., messaging apps and machine learning APIs) for privacy leakage, and performs theoretical analysis to derive bounds on privacy (e.g., using game theory and information theory). Amir has received several awards including the 2013 IEEE S&P Best Practical Paper Award, a 2015 Google Faculty Research Award, a 2016 NSF CAREER Award, a 2022 DARPA Young Faculty Award (YFA), the 2023 Best Practical Paper Award from the FOCI Community, the first place at CSAW 2023 Applied Research Competition, a Distinguished Paper Award from ACM CCS 2023, a 2024 Applied Networking Research Prize (ANRP), and a 2024 DARPA Directors Award.

Host: Harsha V. Madhyastha

Location: Olin Hall of Engineering (OHE) - 132

Audiences: Everyone (USC) is invited

Contact: CS Faculty Affairs

This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

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