We rely on feeling protected when we use a technology. Whether we actually are is another question. In the next Science Insight of CTSi//circle.responsibleComputing, Rafael Vrecar shows when and why the two come apart.
- When
- Monday, 16:00–17:00 CET
- Where
- Online via Zoom
- Language
- German
- Admission
- Free, no registration
Feeling protected is not being protected
Technical security can be tested, certified and compared. How secure people feel when they use a technology is a different matter. Still, people act on that feeling: they avoid password managers because "all my passwords in one place" seems risky, and they trust an email because it looks official.
In everyday life, people may not distinguish between security, safety, and privacy. "I don't feel safe" can mean any of them. Talking about perceived security therefore means taking safety and privacy into account as well.
- Security
- Safety
- Privacy
What the talk covers
- When feeling and reality come apartWhen and why perceived and actual security come apart and what role technologies, personal traits, and context play in this, from AI assistants to cookie banners.
- What studies showResults from my own studies on privacy, security, and safety, from cookie banners to the factory floor.
- What generative AI changesIt makes deception cheap, and increasingly it is also meant to decide for us what we share. Both change the question of what our sense of security can still rely on.
About the speaker
Dipl.-Ing. Rafael Vrecar, BSc
ÖAW DOC Fellow · CTSi & Human-Computer Interaction Group, TU Wien
Rafael Vrecar is a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researcher at TU Wien. His research focuses on perceived security, that is, how secure people feel when using digital technologies and why this perception often differs from their actual level of security. His doctoral project is funded by a DOC Fellowship of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). His work is empirical and follows a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research. He also develops prototypes to test specific hypotheses, often in collaboration with students.
He completed the bachelor's program in Software & Information Engineering and the master's program in Media and Human-Centered Computing at TU Wien, both with honors, as well as the Bachelor with Honors program. In addition, he completed two industry internships and spent more than four years tutoring over ten courses across three institutes. He currently teaches at several universities and has (co-)supervised several bachelor's and master's theses at different universities. His interest in security and privacy on Apple platforms is also reflected in his teaching.