[CS] Elleen Pan MS Presentation/Oct 18

[via cs]

This is an announcement of Elleen Pan's MS Presentation
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Candidate: Elleen Pan

Date: Friday, October 18

Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm CT 

Location: JCL 298

Remote Location:  https://uchicago.zoom.us/j/93714940380?pwd=3901dz4AD6gKklLukZ36gcbKHa6awk.1

Title:  Does Creepiness Differ From a Potential Privacy Violation? Unpacking What Makes Web Tracking Creepy

Abstract: Users often characterize privacy-invasive practices as ``creepy,'' a catchall term for unpleasantness and fear. We unpack the notion of creepiness, including its relationship to potential privacy violations, in the context of online tracking and targeting. In total, 137 crowdworkers used a browser extension visualizing hidden aspects of their own browsing, including how they were tracked and profiled. Visualizations ranged from straightforward (e.g., common trackers) to intentionally provocative (e.g., late-night browsing, sensitive interests). We qualitatively analyzed participants' explanations of why they found each visualization creepy or not. We contrast the resultant themes with existing conceptualizations of privacy. We identified 57 reasons participants found the information shown to be creepy (or not), half of which are distinct from canonical notions of privacy. We discuss how these distinct aspects capture how people's privacy reactions to a practice are modulated based on how information is displayed, framed, or contextualized, presenting implications for transparency-enhancing tools.

Advisors: Blase Ur

Committee Members: Blase Ur, Marshini Chetty, Michelle Mazurek