My research focuses on Internet Censorship, including Censorship Circumvention, Observations and Measurements.
I also have interests in general topics related to Network, Cybersecurity and Online Privacy (both technology and policy aspects).
Censorship
Censorship is an escalating problem in many countries, especially under authoritarian regimes. It is a serious threat to the freedom of speech and the freedom of press. It is also a violation of human rights per the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) under the United Nations.
Censorship Circumvention
The most direct way to fight against censorship is to circumvent it. There are many censorship circumvention tools available, such as Tor, Psiphon, Lantern, etc. However, censorship circumvention is a cat-and-mouse game. Censors are constantly updating their censorship techniques to block circumvention tools. Therefore, it is important for researchers to keep up with the latest censorship techniques and develop new circumvention tools to fight against censorship as it evolves.
I work on censorship circumvention in the following aspects:
- Evaluating existing tools and techniques
- Designing new tools and techniques which directly circumvent censorship
- Improving infrastructure-level middlewares used in censorship circumvention tools
Observations/Measurements
To keep up with the latest censorship techniques, it is important to have a good understanding of the censorship landscape. Therefore, I also work on censorship observations and measurements. I have been actively engaged in the following:
- Analyzing censorship-related statistical data
- Designing new measurement methodologies and tools
- Collaborating closely with researchers from other institutions on Internet anomaly detection/measurement projects