Research Internship - Ethical and Social Implications of Provenance Disclosure

Overview

Microsoft Research Cambridge (UK) is seeking a research intern with a background in social science to join a project investigating the ethical and social implications of disclosing information about the provenance of digital content.  

This internship aims to address the social and ethical implications of providing provenance information for digital content. It will build on research and design work we have underway exploring how the design and disclosure of provenance information about digital content might help in combating misinformation and disinformation. This intern will carry out research to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of revealing information like origin, creator identity, timeline of modifications, and tools used for different kinds of communities of consumers, creators and publishers. While there are many potential benefits to putting more of this information into the hands of users, there are also possible downsides, such as perceived privacy violations, issues of ownership, and even human rights violations.

Responsibilities

The intern will carry out a large scale survey with different communities of users to determine how provenance information is perceived.

This will be followed up with a set of focused interviews

with subsets of users around different use scenarios, using candidate design sketches to spark grounded discussion.

The intern will then create a taxonomy of opportunities and threats based on qualitative analyses. They will coauthor an academic paper describing the taxonomy, dataset, and findings. 

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications:  

• Is currently enrolled in or has recently completed a PhD program in human-computer interaction, ethics, social psychology, anthropology, sociology, or policy. 
• Experience in interview techniques and qualitative analysis, including expertise in fieldwork. 
• Is comfortable reviewing and engaging with interdisciplinary literature. 
• High fluency in spoken and written English. 
  
  

Preferred/Additional Qualifications

• Experience working with designers is a bonus.
• Demonstration of the ability to convert social science findings into practical recommendations is also an advantage.
  
  

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.