Information flow analysis has largely ignored the setting where the analyst has neither control over nor a complete model of the analyzed system. We formalize such limited information flow analyses and study an instance of it: detecting the usage of data by websites. We prove that these problems are ones of causal inference. Leveraging this connection, we push beyond traditional information flo...

In this paper we present a model for defining and enforcing a fine-grained information flow policy. We describe how the policy can be enforced on a typical computer and present experiments using the proposed model. A key feature of the model is that it allows the expression of rules which detail precisely which information elements are allowed to mix together. For example, the model allows the ...

Quantitative information flow analyses (QIF) are a class of techniques for measuring the amount of confidential information leaked by a program to its public outputs. QIF analyses can be approximative or precise, offering different trade-offs. In this paper, we lift a particular limitation of precise QIF. We show how symbolic model counting replaces explicit leak enumeration with symbolic compu...

the notion of infinite order markov process is introduced and the markov property of the flow of information is established.

We study lobbying with information in a setting where politicians are connected through a network describing information flows. There are two opposing lobby groups, who choose which politician to address. The decision depends on the ideological bias of politicians as well as the overall network structure. We show that there is an interplay between the strength of the network, as given by the in...

Together with reuse and material recycling, remanufacturing has emerged as a sustainable approach for used products. Remanufacturing is more complex than manufacturing, due to the uncertainties in material and information flows inside the remanufacturing facility and along the product life-cycle. Therefore, some remanufacturers intend to use lean production principles and philosophies to deal w...

Modeling of systems, for example, communication systems, involves identification of their basic components and interrelationships. This paper proposes a model of ethical systems based on the notion of flow. The flow of ethical rules, for example, ought not lie, is conceptualized to trigger the flow/blockage of other flows such as information flow. In this scheme different types of mechanisms ca...