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College of Engineering news

March 9, 2020

NSF CAREER award will help Kassem Fawaz improve data privacy

Every day, almost everyone in the United States uses a service, visits a website or interacts with a device that collects confidential data about their location, interests or activities. But…

Kassem Fawaz
October 27, 2017

Focus on new faculty: Kassem Fawaz, bringing security and privacy protection to the masses

Kassem Fawaz has a photo of himself as a 1- or 2-year-old playing with a keyboard; not surprisingly, as a kid, he loved spending time on his family’s computer and…

Kassem Fawaz talks to a student at UW-Madison
June 27, 2023

Ask an expert: Fawaz on data privacy, ChatGPT

Kassem Fawaz is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Among other areas, he focuses on online privacy and security: how we interact with mobile devices, online applications, and…

December 8, 2025

New tool illuminates dark website patterns designed to scam you and steal your data

Many internet users understand how to avoid digital pitfalls like catfishing, password hacking and malware. But not all the dangers in the digital world are so straightforward: For example, just browsing the web may set…

PhD student Shirley Zhang and Associate Professor Kassem Fawaz
August 5, 2025

UW-Madison researchers expose how automation apps can spy—and how to detect it

A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers and computer scientists has identified vulnerabilities in popular automation apps that can make it easy for an abuser to stalk individuals, track their cellphone activity, or even control…

USCYBERCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman delivers a keynote address to UW students, faculty and researchers
January 24, 2025

U.S. Cyber Command visit highlights engineering expertise in cyber-related fields

In November 2024, a delegation from the U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM)—a unit responsible for U.S. Department of Defense cyberspace capabilities—visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Through a series of tours…

PhD student Jack West and Assistant Professor Kassem Fawaz use Instagram’s vision model
April 2, 2024

Popular social media mobile apps extract data from photos on your phone, introducing both bias and errors

Digital privacy and security engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that both TikTok and Instagram extract different levels of personal and demographic data from user images, but can…

PhD student Asmit Nayak working at a computer
October 17, 2023

From ********* to EZacces$! Your browser extension could grab your password and sensitive info

When you type a password or credit card number into a website, you expect that this sensitive data is protected by a system designed to keep it secure. That’s not…

PhD student Shimaa Ahmed working in the lab
August 9, 2023

Down the tubes: Common PVC pipes can defeat voice identification systems

Researchers are in an arms race with hackers to create better and better security systems to prevent data theft, including things like dual authentication password systems, thumbprints and retinal scans….

Top stories of 2022 photo collage
January 12, 2023

A successful 2022: Highlights from the past year

For the UW-Madison College of Engineering, 2022 was a year full of extraordinary achievements and tremendous growth. We advanced scientific knowledge on many fronts, improved the quality of people’s lives…