Whether state surveillance, online abuse, content moderation, or age verification on the internet, many debates surrounding digital security and privacy appear impossible to resolve. “Legitimate objectives often come into conflict with one another,” explains Prof. Matthew Smith from the Institute of Computer Science at the University of Bonn and Fraunhofer FKIE. “For example, when privacy and fundamental rights on the one hand clash with child protection or public safety on the other.”
In his ERC-funded project, “EthicoTech,” Prof. Smith and his team are developing a new research methodology to better understand these entrenched ethical and technical conflicts in cybersecurity and privacy and to identify potential solutions. To achieve this, Smith systematically involves a wide range of stakeholders in the research process, including computer scientists, law enforcement officials, policymakers, affected individuals, parents, young people, and platform operators. “We are investigating whether these conflicts are genuinely ethical in nature, whether they stem from technical causes, or whether the two dimensions have become intertwined.”
The project aims to derive improved technical and policy requirements in areas such as government surveillance, online abuse, and content regulation. “Potential outcomes could include requirements for privacy-preserving age verification systems, more effective approaches to combating online harassment, or more robust evidence bases for security and privacy legislation.”
This type of research is made possible by ERC funding. “The grant enables long-term, methodologically ambitious research involving repeated studies, engagement with hard-to-reach stakeholder groups, participant compensation, and dedicated research infrastructure,” emphasizes Matthew Smith. “Without this funding, it would be extremely difficult to systematically examine such complex and controversial debates over several years and across diverse segments of society.”
About Matthew Smith
Prof. Matthew Smith has been Professor of Computer Science at the University of Bonn since 2013. He also heads the Usable Security and Privacy department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE). In addition, he serves as a Principal Investigator at the Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, the Center for Digital Trust at ETH Zurich and the University of Bonn (funded by the Werner Siemens Foundation), and the CASA Cluster of Excellence at Ruhr University Bochum.
Smith’s research lies at the intersection of technical cybersecurity and behavioral science. He is particularly interested in how systems can be designed so that developers and users present fewer opportunities for attackers, and how potential vulnerabilities can be identified during the software development process. Professor Smith is also committed to transferring research findings into both teaching and practice. He is a co-initiator of the University of Bonn’s Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in Cyber Security.