NSF CAREER Award Boosts LSU Researcher’s Work Fighting ‘Hidden’ Privacy Leaks During Videoconferencing

An LSU researcher says muting microphones and turning off cameras during video conferences may not provide the privacy users expect. A National Science Foundation CAREER Award will help him in his work to mitigate the risk posed by "micro signals" from those devices. 

LSU Computer Science Assistant Professor Chen Wang says even in the off position, computer mics and cameras can leak information, beyond what is seen and heard, through signals that are too tiny for humans to recognize but detectable by machines. An attacker can initiate or exploit these leaks to learn a user's location or even "see" their keystrokes.

“The general micro-signal removal aims to eliminate any micro signals and their variants, even if they are not identified by our study," Wang said. "We propose to develop AI algorithms to remove all micro signals from the audio and video data of online meetings without degrading the user experience.” 

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