Cornell Computer Scientist Awarded MacArthur Fellowship for Research on Technology-Facilitated Abuse

Nicola Dell, a computer and information scientist at Cornell Tech, has been awarded a 2024 MacArthur Fellowship for her pioneering research into technology-facilitated abuse and the development of digital safety protocols for survivors of intimate partner violence and human trafficking. Dell, who co-founded the Clinic to End Tech Abuse (CETA), focuses on identifying how standard consumer technologies are weaponized by abusers to stalk and control victims, according to the announcement regarding the five-year, $800,000 grant.

Dell’s research addresses the growing prevalence of “dual-use” technologies—applications and devices designed for legitimate purposes, such as finding lost phones or parental monitoring, which are frequently co-opted for surveillance. According to Dell, traditional technology design often fails to account for “adversarial design,” or the potential for a product to be abused by someone with intimate knowledge of the target. Her work aims to shift this paradigm by integrating safety checks that anticipate malicious use within domestic environments.

Significant findings from Dell’s team include the identification of vulnerabilities in passwordless authentication systems, often referred to as “passkeys.” Research indicated that abusers could exploit these systems to maintain access to a victim’s device via biometrics or PINs even after passwords were changed. Furthermore, Dell and her colleagues developed algorithms to detect apps capable of facilitating harassment and fraud. As noted in a 2020 conference proceeding, these findings prompted the Google Play Store to remove hundreds of applications for violating policy standards regarding stalking and surveillance.

In 2018, Dell co-founded CETA to provide direct assistance to survivors, offering free consultations to detect compromised devices and secure accounts. Rosanna Bellini, a computer scientist at New York University and former postdoctoral researcher under Dell, described the clinic’s mission as an authentic effort to merge technical expertise with social responsibility. The clinic employs a cross-disciplinary approach, training technology professionals in trauma-informed care and collaborating with social workers to address the complex safety needs of abuse survivors.

Technological Safety Implications

The recognition of Dell’s work by the MacArthur Foundation underscores a critical evolution in the technology sector toward acknowledging “adversarial design” as a fundamental component of product safety. As digital ecosystems become increasingly integrated into daily life, the industry faces mounting pressure to mitigate the risks of dual-use technologies through proactive alerts and stricter privacy controls. The operational model of CETA suggests a necessary shift toward interdisciplinary collaboration, where computer science intersects with social advocacy to protect vulnerable user populations from digital exploitation.