Projects

My current research interests are in web tracking technologies, application of EU Data Protection law to Web applications, dark patterns and HCI and Web application security.

Current projects

• ANR TULIP (2024-2026). Principal Investigator.
  
  I am leading the TULIP (proTéger les UtiLisateurs contre les manIPulations en ligne) project funded by the ANR MRSEI program. In order to protect users from manipulation, deception, and harms caused by dark patterns in digital systems, the TULIP project aims at advancing the knowledge about the cognitive mechanisms used by dark patterns, developing new methods for automatic detection of dark patterns across contexts and tools to help regulators collect evidence of dark patterns. To achieve these ambitious goals, in this project we will advance the research in dark patterns from three dimensions: legal, human-computer interaction and computer science. This project aims at building the consortium to respond to the ERC Synergy program and covers costs to meet with the other co-PIs for the synergy grant and advance the project proposal development.
  
  Budget: 34,000 EUR
  
  
• Inria DATA4US (2020-2025). Principal Investigator.
  
  I am co-leading (with Cedric Lauradoux) the Personal DAta TrAnsparency for web USers (DATA4US) project. Since May 2018, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulates collection of personal data in all EU countries, but users today are still tracked and their data is still silently collected as they browse the Web. GDPR empowers users with the rights to access their own data, but users have no means to exercise their rights in practice. DATA4US tackles these interdisciplinary challenges by establishing collaborations with researchers in Law. DATA4US will propose a new architecture for exercising access rights that will explain the users whether their data has been legally collected and eventually help contact DPAs for further investigations.
  
  Budget: 208,000 EUR
  
  The main results of this work have been published in APF 2020, and IWPE 2020.
  
  
• PEPR IPoP (2022-2027). Contributor.
  
  I participate to the IPoP project included in the PEPR (Programme et Equipement Prioritaires de Recherche) Cybersecurite funded in the France 2030 program starting in 2022 for a duration of 6 years. The IPOP project aims to study the threats to privacy posed by the use of new technologies and emerging services (e.g. health and personal assistants), while complying with current European regulations and preserving the quality of user experience. The issues raised must address technological, societal, legal, economic, political and ethical challenges.
  
  

Past projects

• ANR PrivaWeb (2018-2023). Sole Principal Investigator.
  
  I am leading the ANR JCJC PrivaWeb project. PrivaWEB aims at developing new methods for detection of advanced Web tracking technologies and new tools to integrate in existing Web applications that seamlessly protect privacy of users. In this project, we integrate three key components into Web applications: privacy, compliance and usability. Our research addresses methodological aspects (designing new detection methods and privacy protection mechanisms), practical aspects (large-scale measurement of Web applications, integration in existing Web browsers), and usability aspects (user surveys to evaluate privacy concerns and usability of existing and new protection tools).
  
  Budget: 234,000 EUR
  
  The main results of this work have been published in IEEE Security & Privacy 2020, TechReg 2020, APF 2021, ACM CHI 2021, and PETs 2022.
  
  
• PIA ANSWER (2018-2021). Member
  
  The ANSWER project, “Advanced aNd Secured Web Experience and seaRch” is Inria-Qwant collabocation. The aim of the ANSWER project is to develop the new version of the Qwant search engine by introducing radical innovations in terms of search criteria as well as indexed content and users’ privacy. I co-supervised a PhD student working on investigating how to detect advanced web tracking technologies at scale.
  
  I was co-supervising Imane Fouad (PhD student) working on large-scale measurement and detection of web tracking technologies.
  
  The main results of this work have been published in PETs 2020, WPES 2021, and PETs 2022.
  
  
• ADT FingerKit (2018-2021). Member
  
  As an expert in browser fingerprinting, I was involved in a FingerKit project: "Cloud Platform to Study Browser Fingerprints at Large". I have co-advised an engineer working for this project that enhanced the efficiency of the AmIUnique website that demonstrates browser fingerprint and uniqueness to its users.
  
  The main results of this work have been published in ACM TWEB 2020.
  
  
• User discrimination on the Web (2016-2017). Principal Investigator.
  
  I was co-leading (with Arnaud Legout) the “User discrimination on the Web: measurement, causation and prevention” project funded by Inria. The goal of this project was to detect when users get discriminated on the Web, what are the technologies used to discriminate users and how we can prevent it without breaking the functionality and sometimes useful personalisation within Web applications. I have co-supervised a postdoc within this projct.
  
  The main results of this work have been published in PETs 2020.
  
  
• ANR AJACS (2014-2019). Member
  
  The AJACS project, “Analyses of JavaScript Applications: Certification Security” (Dec 2014 - May 2018) is funded by the ANR. The goal of the AJACS project is to provide strong security and privacy guarantees on the client side for web application scripts. My work was done within the tasks WP2 Certified Analyses and WP3 Security of JavaScript Applications.
  
  I was co-supervising Doliere Francis Some (PhD student) working on large-scale security measurements of Web applications, detecting new Web attacks, and analying privacy and recurity vulnerabilities of Web browser extentions.
  
  The main results of this work have been published in IEEE CSF 2016, ESORICS 2016, WWW 2017, WPES 2018 and IEEE S&P 2019.