#Privacy #Social Networks #Prediction algorithms

How to Hide One's Relationships from Link Prediction Algorithms

Authors: Marcin Waniek, Kai Zhou, Yevgeniy Vorobeychik, Esteban Moro, Tomasz P Michalak, Talal Rahwan Journal: Scientific Reports volume 9, Article number: 12208 (2019) Link Abstract: Our private connections can be exposed by link prediction algorithms. To date, this threat has only been addressed from the perspective of a central authority, completely neglecting the possibility that members of the social network can themselves mitigate such threats. We fill this gap by studying how an individual can rewire her own network neighborhood to hide her sensitive relationships. ...

#brownian motion #einstein #stochastic

Brown's observations on Brownian motion

In 1828, Robert Brown published the manuscript entitled “A brief account of microscopical observations made in the months of June, July and August 1827, on the particles contained in the pollen of plants; and on the general existence of active molecules in organic and inorganic bodies” in the Edinburgh new Philosophical Journal [download it in pdf format here]. He suspended some of the pollen grains of the species Clarkia pulchella in water and examined them closely, only to see them “filled with particles” of around 5 µm diameter that were “very evidently in motion”. ...

#email #marketing #response rate

Why I didn’t answer your email

In a recent Nature article, Albert-Lászlo Barabási and João Gama Oliveira, have found the perfect excuse for lazy people not answering some emails in their inbox: they analyzed the time response of emails and found that they follow a power law probability distribution of the form P(t) = 1/t. In particular this implies that not even the mean response time is finite. Hey! why should you then expect me to answer your emails within my lifetime period! ...