Program
Computer Engineering
College
Engineering
Student Level
Doctoral
Start Date
10-11-2022 4:30 PM
End Date
10-11-2022 5:30 PM
Abstract
Nowadays it is very difficult to find a person that is not connected to any sort of online social network, especially after experiencing the terrifying impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and being stuck at home, people became more dependent on social media to consolidate themselves. One of the COVID-19 pandemic's most lasting effects is an upsurge in social media usage. Online social networks make it easier to connect with others and find those who share common interests. But the dark sides of social networks are also out there. Catfishing is what my study focuses on. Catfishing is the practice of constructing a false identity and using that false identity to interact with someone for a specific reason. It can be difficult for a social media user to spot catfishing. When a person signs up for any social media, that person's profile earns a place in the online social network graph. The placement in the graph is based on the profile's interaction with others, and his/her online activities such as the profiles followed, groups joined, pages liked, etc. However, does being connected to Bob on Facebook necessarily mean that Alice is Bob's friend? If a person can manage his/her way into the desired position on the social graph, does it necessarily mean s/he deserves to be in that position? This presentation will talk about strategies that a social media user takes in order to fake their placement in the social graph, thus, making their way into catfishing their targets. The motivation for my study is to study how fake identities make their way through in order to build algorithms for social networks that can be developed to prevent the perilous outcomes of catfishing. Reverse engineering the strategies of the imposters is the way to find the bugs within the online social graphs.
The Hidden Story of Online Social Network Graphs
Nowadays it is very difficult to find a person that is not connected to any sort of online social network, especially after experiencing the terrifying impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and being stuck at home, people became more dependent on social media to consolidate themselves. One of the COVID-19 pandemic's most lasting effects is an upsurge in social media usage. Online social networks make it easier to connect with others and find those who share common interests. But the dark sides of social networks are also out there. Catfishing is what my study focuses on. Catfishing is the practice of constructing a false identity and using that false identity to interact with someone for a specific reason. It can be difficult for a social media user to spot catfishing. When a person signs up for any social media, that person's profile earns a place in the online social network graph. The placement in the graph is based on the profile's interaction with others, and his/her online activities such as the profiles followed, groups joined, pages liked, etc. However, does being connected to Bob on Facebook necessarily mean that Alice is Bob's friend? If a person can manage his/her way into the desired position on the social graph, does it necessarily mean s/he deserves to be in that position? This presentation will talk about strategies that a social media user takes in order to fake their placement in the social graph, thus, making their way into catfishing their targets. The motivation for my study is to study how fake identities make their way through in order to build algorithms for social networks that can be developed to prevent the perilous outcomes of catfishing. Reverse engineering the strategies of the imposters is the way to find the bugs within the online social graphs.
