Web Science and Digital Libraries Research Group

Redirects are often seen as the invisible roads of the web, silently sending users from one URL to another. While they typically serve the practical purpose of keeping web traffic flowing smoothly—replacing outdated links and guiding users to relevant resources — sometimes they lead to unexpected destinations. We have been researching the lifespan of web pages as part of our "Not Your Parents' Web" project in collaboration with the Internet Archive and Filecoin Foundation . As part of this work, we focused on redirecting URLs. During our analysis of the primary destinations that URLs lead to (referred to as sinks), one particularly notable pattern emerged, revealing how meme culture and internet pranks influence the web. As I examined a dataset of redirecting URLs, I uncovered a notable pattern involving one of the internet’s most famous pranks: Rickrolling . Rickrolling on web Rickrolling, a cultural internet phenomenon, involves sharing misleading links that direct...

    Source: AUDA-NEPAD_ The African Union Development Agency’s AI white paper and roadmap. A Letter to Africa: The AI Age is Here and Africa is Nowhere to be Found. Dearest Africa, I write to you, my cherished homeland, with a heart full of love and optimism. I am a child of your vast lands; a young scholar immersed in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for research, and I see its beautiful potential every day. My deepest desire is to witness your rise to greatness, illuminating the world as a beacon of development and innovation. As the rest of the world advances in AI and technology, you are nowhere to be found. I cannot bear to see you, my beloved Africa left behind. This is a moment you cannot miss or be found wanting, Africa. You must rise to the occasion. Throughout history, you have missed some golden opportunities to be on par with the rest of the world.  In the  Agricultural Era , you, dear Africa, were a land of endless abundance. Your soil, ...

Presenting research on the deceptive practices of coyote advertisements in illegal migration I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the ACM Hypertext 2024 conference in Poznań, Poland. The conference, known for its focus on the study of hypertext and web communities, provided an exciting platform for researchers to share innovative ideas. The event was filled with insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and, of course, the presentation of cutting-edge papers. ACM Hypertext '24 is almost here. Will you be there? #HT2024 @ACMHT pic.twitter.com/eJbNeDYEeI — Frode A. Hegland (@liquidizer) September 8, 2024 One of the highlights for me was presenting “ Unveiling Coyote Ads: Detecting Human Smuggling Advertisements on Social Media ”, for which I am a co-author. Our paper explores the detection of human smuggling advertisements using social media platforms. The research delves into machine learning techniques to identify these harmful ads, presenting a novel ...

  The ACM Symposium on Eye Tracking Research & Applications (ETRA) 2024 was a hybrid conference with the in-person event at the  Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel , Glasgow, UK, and virtual attendees joining via  Webex Events . The conference took place from June 4 to June 7, 2024. We ( Yasasi  and  Gavindya ) attended the paper sessions and keynotes of the conference virtually. ETRA symposium focuses on all aspects of eye movement research across a wide range of disciplines and brings together computer scientists, engineers, and behavioral scientists to enhance eye-tracking research and applications.  This year,   Yasasi  from ODU  served on the organizing committee of the ETRA conference as the publicity chair .  🎉 #ETRA2024 kicks off today at #Glasglow ! We are looking forward to a week full of exciting presentations and insightful discussions on groundbreaking eye tracking research! 🚀 Stay tuned for updates! 👀 #ETR...