Matthias Fassl
[maˈtiːas ˈfasl̩] · he/him
I am an interdisciplinary HCI researcher working on security, privacy, and safety. My current work focuses on technology-mediated stalking and intimate-image-based abuse in end-to-end-encrypted messengers.
I hold a Dr.-Ing. from Saarland University and bring a background in computer engineering, cultural & social anthropology, privacy advocacy, and EU cybercrime policy.
Research
Tech Policy & Design
Laws increasingly regulate our online identity, safety, and data, but companies often design around their spirit. I use design methods to make people more aware of their rights and give them more agency online.
Surveillance & Care
People care for each other through computers: ordering food, checking someone got home safely, switching on a light to say “I’m thinking of you.” But tools like Find My become surveillance when relationships change. I want to design care technologies that minimise that.
Security Snake Oil
Marketing for resistance technologies often promises more than the tools deliver, and it reshapes what people think good security looks like. I investigate these claims to correct misperceptions and see for whom resistance actually works.
Publications
Awards
Press
Why messenger contacts are rarely verified Nov 2023
Expert commentary on the Boys Town case and the limits of Tor's anonymity guarantees Oct 2024
Contact
Matthias Fassl
Collaborateur Scientifique, EPFL
Room BC 107 (Bâtiment BC)
Station 14, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland