NSF-BSF: SaTC: CORE: Small: Security and Privacy in Enclave Communities

This project investigates users in an enclave community to understand how they achieve and set standards for security and privacy, and the technologies specifically designed and deployed by these communities. The proposed work begins with a focus on ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities worldwide that have developed tailored technologies of specialized phones and network infrastructure that enables internet access with community-defined interventions. The project aims to fulfill two main goals: to provide scientific insight into the dynamics between modern technological and restriction and its impact on security and privacy, and to understand the technical and social mechanisms by which the technological infrastructure affects access and the kind of content that is accessible. To achieve these goals, this project leverages an international collaboration to study these communities and the technologies they produce. The project will investigate how community members and IT staff interact with technology, their perceived risks and concerns, and how those beliefs and attitudes form their mental models of security and privacy. The project will also investigate the advice and guidance provided by IT staff and the community, the mechanisms by which the community evaluates and influences access, and the kind of content that is accessible to members. As an outcome of this research, the project seeks to expand a broader understanding of security and privacy for previously unstudied communities with potential to improve security and privacy for all. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.