Rishab Nithyanand is an Assistant Professor and Emeriti-Faculty Scholar in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Iowa where he leads the SPARTA lab. He also holds a courtesy appointment in the College of Law and co-directs the Center for Publics, Platforms, and Personalization (CP3).

Research Interests

Professor Nithyanand’s research is broadly in the areas of privacy and social computing. His research aims to improve transparency and accountability in the online data ecosystem. He accomplishes this goal through a rigorous examination of the algorithms and processes used by social media platforms and online advertising technologies. This involves developing computational techniques for assessing: (1) the internal mechanisms of opaque systems, (2) how these systems interact with their stakeholders, and (3) whether these systems are operating within the bounds of existing norms and regulations. His research focuses on social media platforms and ad-tech because of their significant influence on the Internet and society, their similarly opaque processes, and heavy reliance on user data. Therefore, by enhancing the transparency and accountability of these ecosystems, his research improves the core mechanisms that influence user experiences and behavior across the Internet. 

Research Interests (Keywords)

Social Computing; Privacy; Platform Auditing

Selected publications

• Forms of Disclosure: The Path to Automated Data Privacy Audits. Diamantis, M., Musa, M. B., Ausberger, L., Nithyanand, R. In: Harvard Journal of Law and Technology (HJoLT 2023). 
• Paying Attention to the Algorithm Behind the Curtain: Bringing Transparency to YouTube’s Demonetization Algorithms. Dunna, A., Keith, K., Zuckerman, E., Vallina-Rodriguez, N., O’Connor, B., Nithyanand, R. In: ACM SIGCHI Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2022).
• Are Proactive Interventions for Reddit Communities Feasible? Habib, H., Musa, M. B., Zaffar, F., Nithyanand, R. In: AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM 2022). 
• Exploring the Magnitude and Effects of Media Influence on Reddit. Habib, H., Nithyanand, R. In: AAAI Confer- ence on Web and Social Media (ICWSM 2022). 
• Making a Radical Misogynist: How Online Social Engagement With the Manosphere Influences Traits of Radicalization. Habib, H., Srinivasan, P., Nithyanand, R. In: ACM SIGCHI Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2022).
• ATOM: Ad-network Tomography. A Generalizable Technique for Inferring Tracker- Advertiser Data Sharing in the Online Behavioral Advertising Ecosystem [Andreas Pfitzmann Award Runner-up]. Musa, M. B., Nithyanand, R. In: Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS 2022).
• Apophanies or Epiphanies? How Crawlers Impact Our Understanding of the Web. Ahmad, S. S., Dar, M. D., Zaffar, M. F., Vallina-Rodriguez, N., Nithyanand, R. In: The Web Conference (WWW 2020). 
• Inferring Tracker-Advertiser Relationships in the Online Advertising Ecosystem using Header Bidding. Cook, J., Nithyanand, R., Shafiq, Z. In: Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS 2020).