Using a $7.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a team of researchers led by the University of Florida will examine the needs of marginalized and vulnerable populations among security and privacy technologies. The project, supported by the NSF’s Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace Frontiers program, seeks to develop foundational design principles to mitigate harm and improve benefits to these populations based on foundational computer science, social science theory, and direct collaboration with marginalized and vulnerable populations.

“The Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace program is one of NSF’s largest research programs, recognizing the criticality of cybersecurity and privacy to the nation’s economy and to citizens,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “These investments support cybersecurity research across the country that can be translated into solutions that improve our quality of life.”

Over the five-year lifetime of the project, investigators will examine the needs of these populations, the intersection of these populations with various technologies, and systematize their findings to inform the future of design and to translate research into action through interaction with industry and government.

“We’ve found that addressing the needs of under-served populations has positive effects on citizens, and by increasing access and inclusion, all citizens will be able to participate in future innovation,” said Kevin R.B. Butler, Ph.D., lead principal investigator and professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE).

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Originally published by the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering (HWCOE), August 1st, 2022