Interpersonal Security and Privacy: Emerging Threats and Sociotechnical Defenses
Many of today’s most pervasive digital security and privacy threats come not from distant hackers, but from the individuals around us. For example, intimate partner violence — estimated to affect nearly half of U.S. adults — increasingly involves technologies like spyware, online accounts, and covert tracking devices. Other interpersonal threats are more subtle, such as when parents inadvertently compromise their children’s privacy by sharing about them on social media. My work on interpersonal security and privacy examines these emerging threats and develops effective, context-aware safeguards. This talk will review my overall research program and detail one recent project focused on collecting legal evidence of digital abuse.
This lecture will also be live streamed via Zoom. You are welcome to join us either in South Hall or online.
For online participants
Online participants must have a Zoom account and be logged in. Sign up for your free account here. If this is your first time using Zoom, please allow a few extra minutes to download and install the browser plugin or mobile app.
Speaker
Sophie Stephenson
Sophie Stephenson is a Ph.D. candidate in computer science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research bridges security & privacy (S&P) and human-computer interaction (HCI) to examine how technologies shape — and are shaped by — interpersonal relationships and interactions. She publishes in top-tier venues, including USENIX Security, ACM CHI, ACM CSCW, and IEEE S&P, and earned a best paper honorable mention Award at CSCW 2025. In tandem with research, Sophie serves as the director of operations at the Madison Tech Clinic, which provides direct service to survivors of technology-facilitated abuse. Prior to UW–Madison, she earned a BA in mathematics from Vassar College.
Contact
If you have questions about this event, please contact Kimmy Fox.
