NewsAuth

NewsAuth Research Experience for Undergrads (REU) Opportunity (Spring 2021)

The News Authentication Research Group (NewsAuth) is now accepting applications for a paid remote Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) with researchers at Columbia DSI and the Columbia Journalism School, including a wider collaboration opportunity with researchers from Clemson University and New York University. We are seeking applicants who are interested in learning about research in digital news and media trust, privacy and security in organizational settings, and human-centered computing.

Eligible applicants must be active full-time students at a U.S. college and must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents. This research appointment is a part-time and remote work opportunity, and covers between 10-20 hours per week.

We are looking for motivated students with an interest and/or experience in:

  • Digital media systems
  • Blockchain networks
  • UX design
  • Scientific writing

What you will do (depending on experience and interest):

  • Collaborate with a team of researchers from Columbia University;
  • Interact with journalist partners from organizations across the country;
  • Identify ways in which blockchain and other cryptography technologies can support transparency and accountability of digital publications (as well as their limitations).

What you will gain:

  • Hands-on experience in conducting academic research;
  • Opportunity to co-author a scientific paper or presentation;
  • Paid stipend for the spring semester;
  • Mentorship by professors and PhD students.

How to apply:

Please submit your 1-page resume to The NewsAuth Group at reu.newsauth@columbia.edu

Preference will be given to those students who submit their resume by February 1.

About the Project

Much online news content lacks verifiable information about its provenance, including who wrote and published it, what organization distributed it, and when it was published. Without provenance, readers have no guarantees that the content they accessed originated with the stated publisher. Readers also cannot be sure when the content was published, or if it has been altered or updated. This project will develop a new system to cryptographically verify the provenance of digital news content. This system includes tools to attribute digital content to its publisher, confirm its publication date and show its revision history. This system will improve publisher credibility, help readers hold publishers accountable, and help archivists preserve correct digital content. Ultimately, the system will improve the security and trustworthiness of the online information ecosystem.

This project will advance knowledge through the design, development, and distribution of novel technical authentication mechanisms for digital media. This project’s work involves designing, testing, and implementing cryptographic tools to secure modern digital publication systems. The team will integrate cryptography with user interface design to create a prototype that accurately and verifiably conveys provenance and integrity guarantees. Through iterative development of applied cryptography, standards-development, and user-experience research, the researchers will create tools to provide solutions to significant research challenges in information authenticity, applied cryptography, and human-computer interaction. The system will enable verification of publication dates and version history, and check integrity of embedded elements of content such as images and social media posts. By engaging users in the design of the new publishing protocol, this work will bridge the gap between user-centric and cryptographic notions of authenticity. The work will facilitate the creation and adoption of these technologies by general and specialized publishers, and will mitigate security threats and improve assurance that the public can trust online news sources and content.

The Cryptographic Provenance for Digital Publishing project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under award numbers CNS-1940670, CNS-1940679 and CNS-1940713. The views and conclusions contained on this site are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of NSF. Any mention of specific companies or products does not imply any endorsement by the authors or by NSF.

Meet the Team

Clemson University:

  • Kelly Caine (Human Centered Computing): Co-PI; Associate Professor of Human-Centered Computing
  • Errol Francis II (Computer Science): Graduate Student

Columbia University:

  • Susan McGregor (Digital Journalism): Co-PI; Associate Research Scholar
  • Bernat Ivancsics (Digital Journalism): Graduate Student

New York University:

  • Joseph Bonneau (Computer Science): Co-PI; Assistant Professor of Computer Science
  • Billy Kern (Computer Science): Graduate Student

Contact

Email: reu.newsauth@columbia.edu

Part of Columbia's's Data Science Institute