A user-driven free speech application for anonymous and verified online, public group discourse
Name
13174_2018_Article_93.pdf
Size
1.94 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7d8fbb3c9367962ea7ce9408a7dc0947
Author(s)
Nekrasov, Michael
Iland, Danny
Metzger, Miriam
Parks, Lisa
Belding, Elizabeth
Date Issued
November 2018
Journal
Journal of Internet Services and Applications
Publisher
Springer London
Citation
Nekrasov, Michael, et al. “A User-Driven Free Speech Application for Anonymous and Verified Online, Public Group Discourse.” Journal of Internet Services and Applications, vol. 9, no. 1, Dec. 2018.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Online social networks are major hubs of communications that are used to share information by societies worldwide. However, the ability to freely communicate on these platforms is increasingly restricted in countries across the globe and existing technological solutions do not fully address the needs of affected communities. In this paper we explore the design process of SecurePost, a novel tool that allows verified group anonymity to those communicating publicly on online social networks. We present survey-based research and ethnographic interviews of communities vulnerable to censorship conducted in Zambia, Turkey, and Mongolia between 2013 to 2016. We use analysis of this data to ground our work. We explore needs and requirements of users such as modes of censorship, resistance to network disruption, and appropriate platform consideration. We outline our technological solution and expand on how on-the-ground research of user communities guides technological requirements.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13174-018-0093-4
