About

Email: [email protected]

I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan School of Information. I am also Affiliate Faculty with the Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing at the University of Michigan.

My journey has been marked by a commitment to advancing privacy, expression, and trust within the landscape of emerging technologies—from legacy messaging platforms to cutting-edge emotion artificial intelligence.

My research operates at the critical intersection of media psychology and privacy law. The implications of my work extend across communication theory, platform design and law/policy development. Specifically, my research:

1. Bridges law and media studies by experimentally testing and validating the concepts proposed by leading privacy law scholars.

2. Advances understanding of emerging technologies such as emotion AI and virtual reality, ensuring ethical and effective implementations.

3. Informs the design of messaging platforms to enhance privacy in response to screenshot collection and sharing.

I earned my PhD from the Division of Emerging Media Studies at Boston University in February 2024 after receiving my BS in Communication from Cornell University.

Personal website

Dissertation title

We Hit Turbulence: Governing Screenshot Collection and Sharing of Digital Messages

Dissertation abstract

Individuals rely on digital messaging to form and maintain intimate relationships, trusting that the mediums through which they communicate are protective of their privacy. The screenshot feature revokes attempts to establish such trust. This tool allows individuals to capture and store pieces of a private conversation as a separate file on their device, rendering them usable and shareable with third parties. While the screenshot feature serves utilitarian purposes, this dissertation focuses on its ability to breach privacy expectations, termed within communication privacy management theory (CPM) as privacy turbulence. This dissertation extends the scope of CPM beyond its interpersonal bounds, recognizing the power of platforms to create rules that users follow when making decisions about others' information. Experimental results suggest that blurring received messages upon use of the screenshot feature (i.e., obscurity) and creating an explicit confidentiality expectation (i.e., explicit privacy rule) significantly reduce screenshot collection and sharing, respectively. Additionally, reflections from participants reveal that many individuals are willing to compromise others’ privacy on digital messaging platforms while simultaneously expecting protection of their own. Qualitative analysis of relevant case law and complaints/opinions from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reveal inconsistencies both within law and policy and as compared to empirical evidence. Judges have provided overly broad definitions of “authorization” and lofty thresholds to sustain individual harm, making statutory regulation of screenshot collection and sharing unlikely. However, guidance from the FTC demonstrates a more nuanced regulatory approach to privacy that recognizes the influence of platform design. Results from this study suggest that design-based strategies—both ex-ante and ex-post—would be a promising first step toward adjusting the norms around screenshot collection and sharing of digital messages. Together, the results of this dissertation will inform policymakers and platform designers of the privacy harm enabled by the screenshot feature, providing tangible recommendations to create messaging platforms that are truly private.

Fields of interest

Privacy; technology policy; media psychology; human-computer interaction; AI governance

Education

PhD, Boston University, 2024

MA, Boston University, 2020

BS, Cornell University, 2018