Keeping Users Away from Clickbaits

Social media sites like Facebook are popular platforms for spreading clickbait, links with misleading titles that do not deliver on their promises. Not only does clickbait waste users' time, it often directs users to phishing sites and sites containing spyware and malware. A large number of users fall victim to scams on social media, including those spread through clickbait. As a result, users are vulnerable to identity theft, online hacking, and the exposure of sensitive information to adversaries. Thus, it is critical to limit the impact of clickbait on users' security. To achieve this goal, we are developing novel techniques to detect various forms of clickbait, and study user behavior on social media to design effective protection mechanisms.