Study Shows Alexa Invades Privacy Collects User Data for Ad-Targeting
Zubair Shafiq, Ph.D. Associate Professor Computer Science UC Davis
By Jessica Heath
Two UC Noyce Initiative researchers are co-authors of a recently published a collaborative study investigating the extent to which interactions with smart speakers, like Amazon's Echo devices, are being used for ad targeting. Zubair Shafiq, an associate professor of computer science at UC Davis College of Engineering, and Athina Markopoulou, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at UC Irvine, collaborated with other researchers from UC Davis, UC Irvine, Northeastern University and the University of Washington to conduct experiments on Alexa Echo smart speakers. The resulting paper titled "Tracking, Profiling, and Ad Targeting in the Alexa Echo Smart Speaker Ecosystem," was recognized last month with a Best Paper Award at the Association for Computing Machinery's 2023 Internet Measurement Conference, the industry's top conference in network measurement.
Athina Markopoulou, Ph.D. Professor Electrical Engineering and Computer Science UC Irvine
Gene Tsudik, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor Computer Science UC Irvine
Zubair Shafiq, third from left, along with their colleagues, accept their Best Paper Award at the 2023 Internet Measurement Conference. (Courtesy of Zubair Shafiq)
CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY
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