Barbosa and Wang receive Facebook grant to design privacy controls for ad targeting

Yang Wang
Yang Wang, Professor

iSchool PhD student Natã Barbosa and his advisor Associate Professor Yang Wang have received a $65,053 grant from Facebook for their project, "In-Situ Privacy Controls of Profiling and Ad-Targeting." The goal of the project is to design a privacy control framework that makes profiling and ad-targeting more transparent to ordinary Internet users.

Currently, users have the opportunity to review their ad-targeting profiles after their data has been collected and processed, such as through Facebook's Ad Preferences and Google's Ad Personalization settings. This post-hoc approach may lead users to turn-off personalized ad-targeting completely, which undermines their experience and limits a company's ability to serve relevant ads. Barbosa and Wang are exploring designs that notify users and give them control as their ad-targeting profiles are being composed. This "privacy-by-design" alternative shifts control to users without overwhelming them.

"Through ad explanations, dashboards of ad interests, and the Off-Facebook Activity setting, users have the opportunity to review what information about their activities have helped inform their ad-targeting profiles. With our approach, users would be notified and given a choice about whether to share their data," said Barbosa.

"A key novelty of this work is that we can illuminate how online and offline activities might lead to certain targeted ads. For example, at the time they listen to a song on an app or a website, or visit a local coffee shop, they would be made aware that their actions could help build their profile and be given the choice to allow or deny the sharing of their data," added Wang.

Wang also commented, "Natã is very motivated. He took the lead in developing the proposal based on his dissertation plan. I'm also excited about the possibility that Facebook may incorporate our research in their products to improve transparency and user privacy."

Barbosa designs and evaluates novel data-driven systems aimed at increasing algorithmic transparency, preventing privacy violations, and building trust. He earned his master's degree in information science and technology from Syracuse University and bachelor's degree in information systems from Centro Universitário Católica de Santa Catarina.

Wang conducts research focusing on usable privacy and security technologies, social computing, human-computer interaction, and explainable artificial intelligence. His research has received support from NSF, the Department of Health and Human Services, Google, Alcatel-Lucent, and The Privacy Projects, and has appeared in news outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and China Daily. Wang's honors include the IAPP SOUPS Privacy Award, NSF CAREER Award, and a Top Privacy Paper for Policy Makers selected by the Future of Privacy Forum. He earned his PhD in information and computer science from the University of California, Irvine.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Guadalupe Castillo

Twelve iSchool master's students were named 2024–2025 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. This "Spectrum Scholar Spotlight" series highlights the School's scholars. MSLIS student Guadalupe Castillo earned her BA in international studies and Spanish and Latin American literature from the University of California, San Diego.

Guadalupe Castillo

iSchool researchers to present at CHI 2025

iSchool faculty and students will present their research at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2025), which will be held from April 26 to May 1 in Yokohama, Japan. 

Kemboi receives the Research and Advocacy Social Justice Award

PhD student Gladys Kemboi has received the 2025 Research and Advocacy Social Justice Award from the Office of Diversity & Social Justice Education in the Office of Student Affairs. She was presented with the award at the Social Justice Awards Ceremony, which was held on April 8 in the Illini Union. The annual event honors and celebrates the work and dedication of University of Illinois community members seeking to create a more inclusive and equitable campus.

Gladys Kemboi

Garnes receives Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

Carolyn L. Garnes (MSLIS '72) has received the 2025 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Library Association (ALA). The annual award, named in honor of award-winning children's book author Virginia Hamilton, is presented in odd years "to a practitioner for substantial contributions through active engagement with youth using award-winning African American literature for children and/or young adults, via implementation of reading and reading-related activities/programs."

Carolyn L. Garnes

Undergraduate Research Symposium features iSchool students and mentors

Several iSchool undergraduate students will participate in the 18th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. During the event, visitors will learn about undergraduate research projects through oral and poster presentations, creative performances, and art exhibits. All are welcome to attend the symposium, which will be held on April 24 from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Illini Rooms and South Lounge of the Illini Union. Oral presentations will be held on the second floor of the Illini Union.