[LOGOS] Meetup tomorrow, talk by Antonis Papasavva

[Emiliano De Cristofaro]

WHEN/WHERE
Wed, May 1st, 2-3pm
In-person Bourns A171, or
Zoom: https://ucr.zoom.us/j/94346366729?pwd=dWkwSVdwcTFoVGlPdnhTdHlpRnV1Zz09

TITLE
>From Obscurity to Obsession: Unveiling the Role of Alternative Social
Networks in Facilitating QAnon Radical Discourse

ABSTRACT
Online social networks unite people from various backgrounds with similar
interests. Unfortunately, this can often foster extremely controversial
communities. These communities give rise to controversial discussions, with
one prominent example being the emergence of various conspiracy theories
through online discussions and opinion-
sharing. Conspiracy theories have become pervasive in the digital age,
challenging societies and democracies worldwide.
This presentation delves into the analysis, characterization, and
understanding of extreme and radical narratives facilitated in mainstream
and alternative social networks, focusing mainly on the enigmatic origins
of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Utilizing a data-driven cross-platform
quantitative approach, we investigate the evolution, behavior, and impact
of QAnon across various social networks to provide a coherent understanding
of how controversial discourse proliferates within these communities. We
find that QAnon poses significant threats to democracies and individual
autonomy by being exploited, with real-world consequences, as evidenced by
events such as the 2016 US Presidential Elections, public health threats
due to COVID-19 misinformation, the 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol,
and many other incidents of violence and radicalization. This research
exposes QAnon-specific narratives, the activity of adherents, discussion
topics, and community responses to platform shutdowns and online migration.

BIO
I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Dawes Centre For Future Crime at
University College London (UCL), working on understanding how GenAI is used
by fraudsters to manipulate and scam unsuspecting victims, along with how
we can automatically detect upcoming scam types to warn users.
I completed my PhD research at UCL in September 2023 in the field of
Discourse Analysis and Data Science under the guidance of Prof. Emiliano De
Cristofaro and Dr. Enrico Mariconti. Prior to joining UCL in 2019, I served
as a Research Fellow at Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), where I also
received my MSc in Data Science and Machine Learning.
As part of my Postdoctoral position at UCL, my research focuses on
identifying and detecting emerging online fraudulent activity and
developing AI-based solutions for early detection and mitigating such
malevolent activity. During my time as a PhD researcher, I focused on the
characterization and detection of extremist, conspiratory-focused, fringe
communities in alternative and mainstream social networks. This work
employed various quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods,
statistical analysis, and Natural Language Processing and Discourse
Analysis tools. Before that, as a Research Fellow at CUT, my research
focused on device-centric authentication, federated identity management,
cybersafety, and the detection and characterization of inappropriate
content online.

--
Prof. Emiliano De Cristofaro
Computer Science and Engineering
University of California, Riverside
https://emilianodc.com
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