This Project Grant award for $112,610, funded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CFDA 47.070) program, supports The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in developing a digital framework to defend against sockpuppet connection requests in online social networks (OSNs). The goal is to significantly expand the understanding of identity deception and abuse in OSNs, and design intervention mechanisms to mitigate these types of attacks. The project will involve user studies to investigate pending connection decisions, behaviors, and motivations, leading to the implementation of a spam connection folder through a pending connection decision classifier. Additionally, the researchers will develop a novel OSN pending connection processing interface as a layer on existing social networks to administer and assess educational and interface interventions around sockpuppets. This work aims to enhance the understanding of just-in-time motivations and behaviors related to social network risks, while also providing social scientists with deeper insights from social and spatial dimensions of OSNs. The award period is from October 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025.
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