08-16, 20:00–20:50 (US/Eastern), Tobin
2024 was the worst year for Internet shutdowns ever recorded, with nearly 296 documented events across 54 countries. Frequently imposed during protests and times of unrest, shutdowns are commonly used as a tactic to suppress dissent and restrict communication. Mesh messaging is widely hailed as a potential workaround, yet these tools are generally considered unreliable, untrusted, and ultimately go unused. Mesh systems depend heavily on the spatial relationships between nodes, but existing research on how people move and communicate in protest settings is sparse. This talk explores a holistic approach to mesh tool design, grounded in qualitative firsthand experiences to build effective blackout-resistant mesh tools.
Cora Rowena Ruiz is a PhD student at the City College of New York. Her research interests are in practical computer security and privacy for vulnerable populations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity from Albertus Magnus College, where she specialized in digital forensics and investigation.
bluesky: @roweziur.bsky.social
