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Virtual Private Social Networks and a Facebook Implementation. Mauro Conti, Arbnor Hasani , Bruno Crispo ACM Transactions on the Web, 7(3), 2013. Take Home Message. User privacy protection in OSN is an open problem...not easy to solve
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Virtual Private Social Networks and a FacebookImplementation Mauro Conti, ArbnorHasani, Bruno Crispo ACM Transactions on the Web, 7(3), 2013
Take Home Message • User privacy protection in OSN is an open problem...not easy to solve • Any realistic solution should not go against OSN interests • Technical solutions are good for the VQR. The problem cannot be solved by technical means
Virtual Private Social Networks • Creating private overlays by means of steganography/cloaking • VPSN, in analogy with VPN, leverages an already existing host social network. Nodes of a VPSN are users that share information (profile) confidential with regard to other users not part of the VPSN. • An example of “parasitic security”
Virtual Private Social Networks • Virtual • No infrastructure is required (completely distributed) • Private • A social network. • (possibly) not loosing any functionalities of OSN • Hidden to user outside VPSN • Hidden to OSN • Not collaboration from OSN is required
Privacy Settings in Facebook • Each piece of profile info can be private (except Picture and Town), shared with everyone, friends of friends, friends only or a particular group of friends • At least 1/4 of users share everything with everyone • 99% of Facebook profiles contain real names, 92% of users reveal birthdate, 80% their current city and 98% display a profile picture of themselves • Facebook lacks privacy controls for shared content (e.g. tagged in a photo of someone else's album) • Third-party apps can access user information through Facebook Platform API, no matter what the user is doing • Apps combined to OpenID is one of the most powerful and effective attack to user privacy
Addressed Problem • Problem addressed by this paper • The availability of Name, Profile Picture and Current City to third party application developers and anyone who is viewing the profile by using User ID • Requirements • No collaboration from Facebook required • No new OSN • No crypto is allowed
Facebook Implementation SETUP
Facebook Implementation Browing with FaceVPSN
XML file Distribution • Scalability issue • Which (distributed) infrastructure can easily support 1Billion+ accounts • XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) • pub/sub extension • also versioning • evolving views and VPSN • .