Talk Title:  Safe(r) Digital Intimacy: Lessons for Internet Governance & Digital Safety

Speaker:  Dr. Elissa M. Redmiles, Clare Luce Boothe Assistant Professor, Computer Science Department, Georgetown University; Faculty Associate, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University.

Location: HBK 2105 and Zoom

Abstract:  The creators of sexual content face a constellation of unique online risks. In this talk I will review findings from over half a decade of research I’ve conducted in Europe and the US on the use cases, threat models, and protections needed for intimate content and interactions. We will start by discussing what motivates for the consensual sharing of intimate content in recreation (“sexting”) and labor (particularly on OnlyFans, a platform focused on commercial sharing of intimate content). We will then turn to the threat of image-based sexual abuse, a form of sexual violence that encompasses the non-consensual creation and/or sharing of intimate content. We will discuss two forms of image-based sexual abuse: the non-consensual distribution of intimate content that was originally shared consensually and the rising use of AI to create intimate content without people’s consent. The talk will conclude with a discussion of how these issues inform broader conversations around internet governance, digital discrimination, and safety-by-design for marginalized and vulnerable groups.

Bio: Dr. Elissa M. Redmiles is the Clare Luce Boothe Assistant Professor at Georgetown University in the Computer Science Department and a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. She was previously a faculty member at the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems and has additionally served as a consultant and researcher at multiple institutions, including Microsoft Research, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Meta, the World Bank, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Partnership on AI. Dr. Redmiles uses computational, economic, and social science methods to understand users’ security, privacy, and online safety-related decision-making processes. She particularly focuses on designing systems that improve safety & equity for members of marginalized communities. Dr. Redmiles has presented her research at the White House, European Commission, and the National Academies and her work has been featured in venues such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, Rolling Stone, Wired, and Forbes. She is the recipient of the 2024 ACM SIGSAC Early Career Award for exceptional contributions to the field of computer security and privacy and her research has received multiple paper recognitions at USENIX Security, ACM CCS, ACM CHI, ACM CSCW, and ACM EAAMO. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., all from the University of Maryland. Go Terps!