I'm an applied cryptographer and usable security/privacy researcher.

I’m currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in computer science at Georgetown University where I work closely with Elissa Redmiles. I'm also a Fritz Fellow within Georgetown's Intiative for Technology and Society and affiliated with the Massive Data Institute at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law. I recently completed my PhD in computer science at Brown University where I was advised by Seny Kamara.

Come to the Re-Imagining Cryptography and Privacy (ReCAP) Workshop!

email | scholar | twitter

research

"Did They Consent to That?": Safer Digital Intimacy via Proactive Protection Against Image-Based Sexual Abuse.
Lucy Qin, Vaughn Hamilton, Sharon Wang, Yigit Aydinalp, Marin Scarlett, Elissa M. Redmiles
Pre-print.

Private Account Recovery for a Secure Allegation Escrow Service.
Ryan Little, Lucy Qin, Mayank Varia
To Appear at USENIX Security. 2024.

Synq: Public Policy Analytics over Encrypted Data.
Zachary Espiritu, Marilyn George, Seny Kamara, Lucy Qin*
To Appear at IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy. 2024.

How Data Protection Supports the Architecture of ML Surveillance.
Rui-Jie Yew, Lucy Qin, Suresh Venkatasubramanian
NeurIPS Workshop on Regulatable ML, 2023.

Attached to “The Algorithm”: Making Sense of Algorithmic Precarity on Instagram.
Yim Register, Lucy Qin, Amanda Baughan, Emma S. Spiro
ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). 2023.

A Decentralized and Encrypted National Gun Registry. [Wired, Conference Video, Seminar Video]
Seny Kamara, Tarik Moataz, Andrew Park, Lucy Qin*
IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy. 2021.

From Usability to Secure Computing and Back Again. [Video, Slides]
Lucy Qin, Andrei Lapets, Frederick Jansen, Peter Flockhart, Kinan Dak Albab, Ira Globus-Harris, Shannon Roberts, Mayank Varia.
USENIX Symposium on Usable Security and Privacy (SOUPS). 2019.

Callisto: A Cryptographic Approach to Detecting Serial Perpetrators of Sexual Misconduct.
Anjana Rajan, Lucy Qin, David W. Archer, Dan Boneh, Tancrède Lepoint, Mayank Varia.
ACM SIGCAS Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies. 2018.

Accessible Privacy-Preserving Web-Based Data Analysis for Assessing and Addressing Economic Inequalities.
Andrei Lapets, Frederick Jansen, Kinan Dak Albab, Rawane Issa, Lucy Qin, Mayank Varia, Azer Bestavros
ACM SIGCAS Conference on Computing and Sustainable Societies. 2018.

* Names listed alphabetically.
Additional publications available here.

reports

Toward Safer Intimate Futures: Recommendations for Tech Platforms to Reduce Image Based Sexual Abuse
Lucy Qin, Vaughn Hamilton, Yigit Aydinalp, Marin Scarlett, Sharon Wang, Elissa M. Redmiles
European Sex Workers Rights Alliance Report. 2023.

Outside Looking In: Approaches to Content Moderation in End-to-End Encrypted Systems.
Seny Kamara, Mallory Knodel, Emma Llansó, Greg Nojeim, Lucy Qin*, Dhanaraj Thakur, Caitlin Vogus
Center for Democracy and Technology Report. 2021.

teaching

CSCI 1952V: Algorithms for the People
Co-Instructor. Brown Computer Science. Fall 2021.

Hiding in Plain Sight: An Introduction to the Art of Cryptography
Instructor. Brown Pre-College. Summer 2021 & 2022.

talks

Where Do Threat Models Come From? Challenging Implicit Assumptions.
Joint Talk with Leah Namisa Rosenbloom and Kris Shrishak
Workshop on Hot Topics in Privacy Enhancing Technologies (HotPETs). 2023.

Deploying MPC for Social Good. [Video, Slides]
Real World Crypto. 2019.

other

Re-Imagining Cryptography & Privacy Workshop
Co-Organizer. Present.

ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT)
Program Committee. 2023.

ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization (EAAMO)
Program Committee. 2021 & 2023.

Callisto
Cryptography Board Member. 2019-Present.

Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS)
External Reviewer. 2023.

Seminar on Community-Driven Cryptography
Co-Organizer. Fall 2021-Fall 2022.

Workshop on Inclusive Privacy and Security (WIPS)
Program Committee. 2021.

MD4SG Data Economies and Data Governance Working Group
Co-Organizer. Spring 2021.

while you're here

Check out the work my former labmates (and friends) are doing!

Kweku Kwegyir-Aggrey. Machine Learning Theory and Fairness.

Leah Namisa Rosenbloom. Cryptography for Grassroots Organizing.

Victor Youdom Kemmoe. Cryptography and Distributed Computing.