The Tech4Humanity Lab blog is comprised of research and general interests posts from lab students and faculty.
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A Diseased Cyberspace and How to Treat It
Grateful Dead Lyricist John Perry Barlow once wrote in “A Declaration of the Independence for Cyberspace” of a potential place free from state intervention where a new social contract might arise in the absence of privilege and prejudice, economic power, military force, and station of birth. Regrettably, Barlow’s vision has not come to pass.…
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Patient Centric Cybersecurity – Excerpt
Over the last several decades there has been a shift in standard models of healthcare both in the United States and globally. Patient centric approaches in health care reorient the power relationships of physicians and patients. This shift elevates the needs and challenges of the patients and builds a more robust and communicative relationship…
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Which Countries Visit the Most Hidden Services Sites?
This week, my new article with Eric Jardine and Gareth Owenson, “The potential harms of the Tor anonymity network cluster disproportionately in free countries,” came out in PNAS. Using a global sample of Tor users, we show that a higher percentage of Tor clients in politically free countries go to hidden services sites than…
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Current and Future Applications of Geospatial Artificial Intelligence
By Peter Muskett A crucial component for analyses within the field of big data analytics is the inherent connection data has with geography and location. [BA1] A commonly cited adage proposes “that at least 80% of all data are geographic in nature” either through the provision of imagery or the ability for data to be quickly…
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Virginia Students Are Game Changineers
Computational Thinking (CT) forms the backbone behind cybersecurity, autonomous systems, data sciences, and many of the tech jobs. Understanding CT instills in the learners the manner in which computer scientists and cyber professionals think about the problems at hand. Needless to say, the construction of modern-day digital artifacts is highly complex. The skill set…
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AI in agriculture: symptom or a remedy?
Every day new technologies, in particular Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), are being developed and implemented on farms in the United States and around the world. Yet, rarely is the changing nature of technology on farms considered from a human perspective. Specifically, is AI in agriculture, in fact, benefiting or harming humanity?
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How could AI Pilots affect the Air Force?
A quick Google search of ‘US Air Force’ instantly pulls up images of fighter pilots and stunning photos of fighter aircrafts like Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor flying menacingly across a vast blue sky. After loading the Air Force website, the user is greeted with the Air Force’s recruiting slogan “Aim High” with a montage…
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To Prevent Pandemics, Automate Meat Production by Divorcing it from Animals
If ever there were a need for a safer, more automated food production process, it’s in our meat industry. Right now, we breed into existence billions upon billions of farm animals each year, living creatures who require extensive resources (food, water, land, etc.) for months or years before we slaughter them. The inefficiency of…
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Misperceptions about Misinformation and Disinformation
As the election cycle in the U.S. entered its final stretches, many personae non gratae have emerged, aiming to influence the election at the last minute by spreading political misinformation and disinformation. They include the Russian government and the individuals and groups it sponsored, such as the Internet Research Agency (IRA). They are allegedly…
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Electronic Voting and Election Security
With the onset of the pandemic, several countries and local governments, including state governments in the U.S., are considering or have adopted online voting, also known as remote voting or Internet-voting. Some countries, such as Estonia, have fully embraced I-voting as a regular mode of voting. Moreover, many governments have already adopted tools of…