Investigating people: a qualitative analysis of the search behaviours of open-source intelligence analysts

The Internet and the World Wide Web have become integral parts of the lives of many modern individuals, enabling almost instantaneous communication, sharing and broadcasting of thoughts, feelings and opinions. Much of this information is publicly facing, and as such, it can be utilised in a multitude of online investigations, ranging from employee vetting and credit checking to counter-terrorism and fraud prevention/detection. However, the search needs and behaviours of these investigators are not well documented in the literature. In order to address this gap, an in-depth qualitative study was carried out in cooperation with a leading investigation company. The research contribution is an initial identification of Open-Source Intelligence investigator search behaviours, the procedures and practices that they undertake, along with an overview of the difficulties and challenges that they encounter as part of their domain. This lays the foundation for future research in to the varied domain of Open-Source Intelligence gathering

CHORUS Deliverable 2.1: State of the Art on Multimedia Search Engines

Based on the information provided by European projects and national initiatives related to multimedia search as well as domains experts that participated in the CHORUS Think-thanks and workshops, this document reports on the state of the art related to multimedia content search from, a technical, and socio-economic perspective. The technical perspective includes an up to date view on content based indexing and retrieval technologies, multimedia search in the context of mobile devices and peer-to-peer networks, and an overview of current evaluation and benchmark inititiatives to measure the performance of multimedia search engines. From a socio-economic perspective we inventorize the impact and legal consequences of these technical advances and point out future directions of research

Revolutionizing social media marketing through AI and automation: an in-depth analysis of strategies, ethics, and future trends

This comprehensive analysis delved into the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in social media marketing. We explored many strategies and insights that have redefined how businesses engage with their audiences in the digital age. Our investigation began by acknowledging the profound impact of AI and automation technologies on the marketing landscape, particularly within the dynamic domain of social media. These innovations ushered in a new era of data-driven decision-making, hyper-personalization, and efficiency, enabling marketers to create more targeted and impactful campaigns. A key finding of our analysis was the pivotal role of AI in audience segmentation and targeting. Through real-time data analysis, marketers could identify and engage their ideal audience segments with exceptional precision, optimizing resource allocation and campaign effectiveness. We also highlighted the emergence of AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants, revolutionizing customer service and engagement on social media platforms. These 24/7 available, personalized interaction tools significantly enhanced the overall customer experience. However, amidst the transformative potential of AI and automation, we emphasized the ethical responsibilities accompanying these advancements. We stressed the need for transparency, data privacy, and fairness in AI-driven marketing practices. Upholding these principles ensures trust, a cornerstone of long-term success. In conclusion, our analysis illuminated the remarkable 23potential of AI and automation in revolutionizing social media marketing. As we move forward into this era of technological transformation, we must do so with a steadfast commitment to innovation and ethical integrity, shaping a marketing landscape that benefits businesses and consumers alik

Revolutionizing social media marketing through AI and automation: an in-depth analysis of strategies, ethics, and future trends

This comprehensive analysis delved into the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation in social media marketing. We explored many strategies and insights that have redefined how businesses engage with their audiences in the digital age. Our investigation began by acknowledging the profound impact of AI and automation technologies on the marketing landscape, particularly within the dynamic domain of social media. These innovations ushered in a new era of data-driven decision-making, hyper-personalization, and efficiency, enabling marketers to create more targeted and impactful campaigns. A key finding of our analysis was the pivotal role of AI in audience segmentation and targeting. Through real-time data analysis, marketers could identify and engage their ideal audience segments with exceptional precision, optimizing resource allocation and campaign effectiveness. We also highlighted the emergence of AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants, revolutionizing customer service and engagement on social media platforms. These 24/7 available, personalized interaction tools significantly enhanced the overall customer experience. However, amidst the transformative potential of AI and automation, we emphasized the ethical responsibilities accompanying these advancements. We stressed the need for transparency, data privacy, and fairness in AI-driven marketing practices. Upholding these principles ensures trust, a cornerstone of long-term success. In conclusion, our analysis illuminated the remarkable 23potential of AI and automation in revolutionizing social media marketing. As we move forward into this era of technological transformation, we must do so with a steadfast commitment to innovation and ethical integrity, shaping a marketing landscape that benefits businesses and consumers alik

Responsible AI and Analytics for an Ethical and Inclusive Digitized Society

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State of the art 2015: a literature review of social media intelligence capabilities for counter-terrorism

Overview This paper is a review of how information and insight can be drawn from open social media sources. It focuses on the specific research techniques that have emerged, the capabilities they provide, the possible insights they offer, and the ethical and legal questions they raise. These techniques are considered relevant and valuable in so far as they can help to maintain public safety by preventing terrorism, preparing for it, protecting the public from it and pursuing its perpetrators. The report also considers how far this can be achieved against the backdrop of radically changing technology and public attitudes towards surveillance. This is an updated version of a 2013 report paper on the same subject, State of the Art. Since 2013, there have been significant changes in social media, how it is used by terrorist groups, and the methods being developed to make sense of it.  The paper is structured as follows: Part 1 is an overview of social media use, focused on how it is used by groups of interest to those involved in counter-terrorism. This includes new sections on trends of social media platforms; and a new section on Islamic State (IS). Part 2 provides an introduction to the key approaches of social media intelligence (henceforth ‘SOCMINT’) for counter-terrorism. Part 3 sets out a series of SOCMINT techniques. For each technique a series of capabilities and insights are considered, the validity and reliability of the method is considered, and how they might be applied to counter-terrorism work explored. Part 4 outlines a number of important legal, ethical and practical considerations when undertaking SOCMINT work

The Harkive Project: Popular Music, Data & Digital Technologies

This thesis is about research around Harkive, an online project designed by this researcher, which gathers stories, reflections, and other data from people about their everyday engagement with popular music. Since 2013, over 1,000 people have contributed to the project, producing around 8,000 texts and highlighting the music reception activities of contemporary music listeners. The thesis presents an analysis of the texts and other data generated, answering a key research question: What can an analysis of the data generated by The Harkive Project reveal about the music reception practices of respondents? To answer this question, the researcher developed an experimental, innovative approach that conceives of Harkive as a space in which people can reflect upon their engagement with music, whilst simultaneously acting as a place that is able to replicate many of the commercial practices related to data collection and processing that have recently emerged as influential factors in the ways that popular music is produced, distributed and consumed. By focusing on a set of findings about the way people reflect on their engagement with music within the Harkive space, this thesis engages practically and critically with these new conditions. Simultaneously, the research explores how the systems of data collection and analysis that facilitate this are technologically complex, subject to rapid change, and often hidden behind commercial and legal firewalls, making the study of them particularly difficult. This then enables us to explore how the use of digital, data and Internet technologies by many people during the course of their everyday lives is providing scholars with new opportunities and methods for undertaking research in the humanities, and how this in turn is leading to questions about the role of the researcher in popular music studies, and how the discipline may take into account the new technologies and practices that have so changed the field. Ultimately, the thesis makes the argument that a greater practical understanding and critical engagement with digital, data and Internet technologies is essential, both for music consumers and popular music scholars, and demonstrates how this work represents a significant contribution to this task

Towards a systematic security evaluation of the automotive Bluetooth interface

In-cabin connectivity and its enabling technologies have increased dramatically in recent years. Security was not considered an essential property, a mind-set that has shifted significantly due to the appearance of demonstrated vulnerabilities in these connected vehicles. Connectivity allows the possibility that an external attacker may compromise the security - and therefore the safety - of the vehicle. Many exploits have already been demonstrated in literature. One of the most pervasive connective technologies is Bluetooth, a short-range wireless communication technology. Security issues with this technology are well-documented, albeit in other domains. A threat intelligence study was carried out to substantiate this motivation and finds that while the general trend is towards increasing (relative) security in automotive Bluetooth implementations, there is still significant technological lag when compared to more traditional computing systems. The main contribution of this thesis is a framework for the systematic security evaluation of the automotive Bluetooth interface from a black-box perspective (as technical specifications were loose or absent). Tests were performed through both the vehicle’s native connection and through Bluetoothenabled aftermarket devices attached to the vehicle. This framework is supported through the use of attack trees and principles as outlined in the Penetration Testing Execution Standard. Furthermore, a proof-of-concept tool was developed to implement this framework in a semi-automated manner, to carry out testing on real-world vehicles. The tool also allows for severity classification of the results acquired, as outlined in the SAE J3061 Cybersecurity Guidebook for Cyber-Physical Vehicle Systems. Results of the severity classification are validated through domain expert review. Finally, how formal methods could be integrated into the framework and tool to improve confidence and rigour, and to demonstrate how future iterations of design could be improved is also explored. In conclusion, there is a need for systematic security testing, based on the findings of the threat intelligence study. The systematic evaluation and the developed tool successfully found weaknesses in both the automotive Bluetooth interface and in the vehicle itself through Bluetooth-enabled aftermarket devices. Furthermore, the results of applying this framework provide a focus for counter-measure development and could be used as evidence in a security assurance case. The systematic evaluation framework also allows for formal methods to be introduced for added rigour and confidence. Demonstrations of how this might be performed (with case studies) were presented. Future recommendations include using this framework with more test vehicles and expanding on the existing attack trees that form the heart of the evaluation. Further work on the tool chain would also be desirable. This would enable further accuracy of any testing or modelling required, and would also take automation of the entire process further