CHI2024: Misinformation on TikTok, Cyber Situational Awareness & ICT in Activism: 3 Full-Paper accepted at Top-Conference (A*)

PEASEC is pleased to publish 3 full papers at the top conference CHI (CORE A*). The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems is the leading international conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The overall acceptance rate for the Papers track was 26.4%.

The following PEASEC papers have been accepted:

From Adolescents‘ Eyes: Assessing an Indicator-Based Intervention to Combat Misinformation on TikTok

(Katrin Hartwig, Tom Biselli, Franziska Schneider, Christian Reuter)

• Abstract: Misinformation poses a recurrent challenge for video-sharing platforms (VSPs) like TikTok. Obtaining user perspectives on digital interventions addressing the need for transparency (e.g., through indicators) is essential. This article offers a thorough examination of the comprehensibility, usefulness, and limitations of an indicator-based intervention from an adolescents‘ perspective. This study (N=39; aged 13-16 years) comprised two qualitative steps: (1) focus group discussions and (2) think-aloud sessions, where participants engaged with a smartphone-app for TikTok. The results offer new insights into how video-based indicators can assist adolescents‘ assessments. The intervention received positive feedback, especially for its transparency, and could be applicable to new content. This paper sheds light on how adolescents are expected to be experts while also being prone to video-based misinformation, with limited understanding of an intervention`s limitations. By adopting teenage perspectives, we contribute to HCI research and provide new insights into the chances and limitations of interventions for VSPs.
  For further information visit https://peasec.de/2024/chi24-tiktok/
• Projects: NEBULA, CYLENCE, ATHENE-PriVis

‘We Do Not Have the Capacity to Monitor All Media’: A Design Case Study on Cyber Situational Awareness in Computer Emergency Response Teams

(Marc-André Kaufhold, Thea Riebe, Markus Bayer, Christian Reuter)

• Abstract: Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) have been established in the public sector globally to provide advisory, preventive and reactive cybersecurity services for government agencies, citizens, and businesses. Nevertheless, their responsibility of monitoring, analyzing, and communicating cyber threats and security vulnerabilities have become increasingly challenging due to the growing volume and varying quality of information disseminated through public and social channels. Based on a design case study conducted from 2021 to 2023, this paper combines three iterations of expert interviews (N=25), design workshops (N=4) and cognitive walkthroughs (N=25) to design an automated, cross-platform and real-time cybersecurity dashboard. By adopting the notion of cyber situational awareness, the study further extracts user requirements and design heuristics for enhanced threat intelligence and mission awareness in CERTs, discussing the aspects of source integration, data management, customizable visualization, relationship awareness, information assessment, software integration, (inter-)organizational collaboration, and communication of stakeholder warnings.
• Projects: CYWARN, CYLENCE, ATHENE-CyAware
• News-Article

Keyboard Fighters: The Use of ICTs by Activists in Times of Military Coup in Myanmar

(Laura Guntrum)

• Abstract: Amidst the ongoing anti-military protests in Myanmar since 2021, there is a noticeable research gap on ICT-supported activism. Generally, ICTs play an important role during political crises in conjunction with activists’ practices on the ground. Inspired by Resource Mobilization Theory, I conducted qualitative interviews (N=16) and a qualitative online survey (N=34), which demonstrate the intersection between analog and digital domains, showcasing the ingenuity of the activists, and the rapid adoption of ICTs in a country that has experienced a digital revolution within the last few years. As not all people were able to protest on-the-ground, they acted as keyboard fighters to organize protests, to share information, and to support the civil disobedience movement in Myanmar. The study identifies, inter alia, the need for better offline applications with wider coverage in times of internet shutdowns, applications that cannot be easily identified during physical controls, and providing free and secure VPN access.
• Projects: TraCe, ATHENE