Program (UTC+1)

The PETS 2020 talk recordings are on our Youtube channel.

All Times on this page are UTC+1 (London, Lisbon, Algiers, Tunis)

Other timezones can be found here: UTC, UTC+1, UTC+2, UTC+3, UTC+4, UTC+5, UTC+6, UTC+7, UTC+8, UTC+9, UTC+10, UTC+11, UTC+12, UTC-1, UTC-2, UTC-3, UTC-4, UTC-5, UTC-6, UTC-7, UTC-8, UTC-9, UTC-10, UTC-11, UTC-12

Monday, July 13

Opening remarks 14:40–14:50 [video]

Session 1 14:50–16:30 (Track B goes to 16:55)

Track A: Anonymous communication
(Chair: Stefanie Roos)

Track B: Differential privacy
(Chair: Esfandiar Mohammadi)

Track C: Privacy-preserving machine learning
(Chair: Ananth Raghunathan)

Break: 16:30 (or 16:55) to 17:30


Session 2 17:30–19:10

Track A: Deanonymization
(Chair: Marc Juarez)

Track B: Differential privacy applications
(Chair: Catuscia Palamidessi)

Track C: Mobile
(Chair: Panos Papadimitratos)

Tuesday, July 14

Keynote 15:00–16:30 Michael Kearns [video]

Title: The Ethical Algorithm

Abstract: Many recent mainstream media articles and popular books have raised alarms over anti-social algorithmic behavior, especially regarding machine learning and artificial intelligence. The concerns include leaks of sensitive personal data by predictive models, algorithmic discrimination as a side-effect of machine learning, and inscrutable decisions made by complex models. While standard and legitimate responses to these phenomena include calls for stronger and better laws and regulations, researchers in machine learning, statistics and related areas are also working on designing better-behaved algorithms. An explosion of recent research in areas such as differential privacy, algorithmic fairness and algorithmic game theory is forging a new science of socially aware algorithm design. I will survey these developments and attempt to place them in a broader societal context. This talk is based on the book The Ethical Algorithm, co-authored with Aaron Roth (Oxford University Press).

Bio: Michael Kearns is a professor in the Computer and Information Science department at the University of Pennsylvania, where he holds the National Center Chair and has joint appointments in the Wharton School.He is founder of Penn’s Networked and Social Systems Engineering (NETS) program, and director of Penn’s Warren Center for Network and Data Sciences. His research interests include topics in machine learning, algorithmic game theory, social networks, and computational finance. He has worked and consulted extensively in the technology and finance industries. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Association for Computing Machinery, and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Kearns has consulted widely in the finance and technology industries, including a current role as an Amazon Scholar.

Break: 16:30 to 17:30

Session 3 17:30–19:10

Track A: Cryptography
(Chair: Markulf Kohlweiss)

Track B: Privacy attacks
(Chair: Rebekah Overdorf)

Track C: Tracking
(Chair: Rishab Nithyanand)

Wednesday, July 15

Session 4 14:30–15:45

Track A: Differential privacy and secure multi-party computation
(Chair: Alptekin Küpçü)

Track B: Smart devices
(Chair: Florian Schaub)

Track C: Systems
(Chair: Cristina Onete)

Town hall 15:45–16:45

Break: 16:45 to 17:45

Session 5 17:45–19:25

Track A: Secure computation
(Chair: Dan Roche)

Track B: Tor
(Chair: Wouter Lueks)

Track C: Social networks
(Chair: Rachel Greenstadt)

Thursday, July 16

Session 6 14:30–16:10

Track A: Payments
(Chair: Pedro Moreno-Sanchez)

Track B: Users
(Chair: Matt Wright)

Track C: Web privacy
(Chair: Nataliia Bielova)

  • Long-Term Observation on Browser Fingerprinting: Users’ Trackability and Perspective
    Gaston Pugliese (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)), Christian Riess (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)), Freya Gassmann (Saarland University), and Zinaida Benenson (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU))

  • No boundaries: data exfiltration by third parties embedded on web pages [video]
    Günes Acar (KU Leuven), Steve Englehardt (Mozilla), and Arvind Narayanan (Princeton University)

  • A Comparative Measurement Study of Web Tracking on Mobile and Desktop Environments artifact [video]
    Zhiju Yang (Colorado School of Mines) and Chuan Yue (Colorado School of Mines)

  • In Depth Evaluation of Redirect Tracking and Link Usage [video]
    Martin Stopczynski (None), Erik Tews (University of Twente), and Stefan Katzenbeisser (Universität Passau)
  • Award session 16:10–16:40 [video]

    Break: 16:40 to 17:40

    Session 7 17:40–18:55

    Track A: Censorship
    (Chair: Nick Hopper)

    • Running Refraction Networking for Real [video]
      Benjamin VanderSloot (University of Michigan), Sergey Frolov (University of Colorado Boulder), Jack Wampler (University of Colorado Boulder), Sze Chuen Tan (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), Irv Simpson (Psiphon), Michalis Kallitsis (Merit), J. Alex Halderman (University of Michigan), Nikita Borisov (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), and Eric Wustrow (University of Colorado Boulder)

    • SiegeBreaker: An SDN Based Practical Decoy Routing System [video]
      Piyush Sharma (IIIT Delhi), Devashish Gosain (IIIT Delhi), Himanshu Sagar (IIIT Delhi), Chaitanya Kumar (IBM research Labs, Singapore), Aneesh Dogra (IIIT Delhi), Vinayak Naik (BITS Pilani, Goa), H.B. Acharya (RIT, New York USA), and Sambuddho Chakravarty (IIIT Delhi)

    • MoneyMorph: Censorship Resistant Rendezvous using Permissionless Cryptocurrencies [video]
      Mohsen Minaei (Purdue University), Pedro Moreno-Sanchez (TU Wien), and Aniket Kate (Purdue University)

    Track B: Usability
    (Chair: Florian Schaub)

    Track C: Data protection
    (Chair: Carmela Troncoso)

    Closing remarks 19:05–19:10 [video]

    Rump session 19:10-20:10
    Register yourself for a talk


    Friday, July 17 — HotPETs

    All Times on this page are UTC+1 (London, Lisbon, Algiers, Tunis)

    Other timezones can be found here: UTC, UTC+1, UTC+2, UTC+3, UTC+4, UTC+5, UTC+6, UTC+7, UTC+8, UTC+9, UTC+10, UTC+11, UTC+12, UTC-1, UTC-2, UTC-3, UTC-4, UTC-5, UTC-6, UTC-7, UTC-8, UTC-9, UTC-10, UTC-11, UTC-12

    Opening 14:30 [video]

    Session 1: My Tool is Cool 14:35 - 15:20

    Refresher break 15:20 — 15:30

    HotPETs Keynote — Keynote by Karen Levy 15:30 [video]

    Title: Privacy Threats in Intimate Relationships

    Abstract: This talk provides an overview of intimate threats: a class of privacy threats that can arise within our families, romantic partnerships, close friendships, and caregiving relationships. Many common assumptions about privacy are upended in the context of these relationships, and many otherwise effective protective measures fail when applied to intimate threats. Those closest to us know the answers to our secret questions, have access to our devices, and can exercise coercive power over us. I survey a range of intimate relationships and describe their common features. Based on these features, I explore implications for both technical privacy design and policy, and offer design recommendations for ameliorating intimate privacy risks. [Joint work with Bruce Schneier]

    Bio: Karen Levy is an assistant professor in the Department of Information Science at Cornell University, and associate member of the faculty of Cornell Law School. She researches how law and technology interact to regulate social life, with particular focus on social and organizational aspects of surveillance. Much of Dr. Levy's research analyzes the uses of monitoring for social control in various contexts, from long-haul trucking to intimate relationships. She is also interested in how data collection uniquely impacts, and is contested by, marginalized populations.

    Dr. Levy is also a fellow at the Data and Society Research Institute in New York City. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University and a J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law. Dr. Levy previously served as a law clerk in the United States Federal Courts.

    Long break 16:30 — 17:30

    Session 2: There Must Have Been a Mix-Up 17:30 — 18:15

    Refresher break 18:15 — 18:25

    Session 3: Whodunnit 18:25 — 19:10

    Awards & closing 19:10 — 19:20 [video]

    Open-ended virtual ice cream 19:20 — …

    Location: Location: somewhere in cyberspace (TBA)