Secure SocialAware: A Security Framework for Mobile Social Networking Applications ; CU-CS-1054-09

Social network information is now being used in ways for which it may have not been originally intended. In particular, increased use of smartphones capable of running applications which access social network information enable applications to be aware of a user’s position and preferences. However, current models for exchange of this information require users to compromise their privacy. We present a framework called Secure SocialAware (SSA) which allows for the interaction of social network information with real-world location-based services without compromising user privacy and security. Through exchanging an encrypted nonce (EID) associated with a verified user location, SSA allows locationbased services to query the local area for social network information without disclosing user identity or any set of information which could be positively matched to users. We argue that it is important that such a framework be accepted as mobile social networks are growing exponentially.