Social Networking with Mobile Networks (Specifically cellular networks via smartphones)

1. Social Networking with Mobile Networks(Specifically cellular networks via smartphones) Matthew Clampitt Cs 441

2. Social Networks Defined • A social network: • Affords user the ability to create a ‘profile’ which contains information about the user. • Allows for users to make connections with one another. • Allows users to view and traverse these connections to make new connections.

3. Mobile Social Networks • For a social network to be mobile it: • Should allow for connection via smartphones. • Should provide some or all of the basic functions afforded by the social network site including posting, chatting, viewing profiles or receiving updates.

4. In The Beginning. . . • There were chat services. • There were chat services that begin to crop up in the late 90’s and the early 00’s. • These services were text only and are commonly known as ‘chat rooms.’ • Often, the applications which connected to these chat rooms were • installed out-of-the-box.

5. The Evolution • Soon after chat rooms, a new technology, 3G, allowed for more information to be shared quickly and easily. • Dating Services began to crop up with browseable ‘profiles’ and the ability to upload pictures. • Finally, social networks became what we know them as today. • Multiplayer games, video chatting, and conference calling, both voice only and video. • These are mainly installed on-demand.

6. Why So Serious? • As social networks become a bigger and bigger part of our lives, problems arise which need to be solved. This is where social networks become academically and intellectually relevant. • How does one: • Serve the computational needs of millions of users. • Preserve security. • Preserve (some) privacy. • Preserve speed. • Preserve efficiency. • And most importantly, preserve a large user base. • And they must be able to do all of this over mobile networks and on mobile devices.

7. Mobile Constraints • To compound these problems even more, there are many constraints created by the use of these mobile networks and devices. • Mobile Networks: • Are subject to physical limitations. • Are often slower than other networks. • Mobile Devices: • Are harshly computationally constrained. (CPU, RAM) • Have limited battery. • Are very different. (iPhone vs. Droid vs. Blackberry vs. ...)

8. The Models • Two ways to model mobile social networks are: • The client-server model. • Each client connects to a central server to relay and request information. • Most or all data is kept on the server. • The peer-to-peer model. • Each client connects directly with another client to request or relay information. • Data is kept on the client.

9. Client-Server • The client-server model is how most of our social networking is provided. As compared to the peer-to-peer model: • Pros: • Client-server allows for much of the computation to be done server side, alleviating some strain on the mobile device (computation and battery life). • Can provide more security/privacy. • Are less susceptible to physical/regional limitations. • Cons: • Network transactions are often slower. • Can be less efficient if network is regional. • Less robust... (server crashes, etc.)

10. Peer-to-Peer • As technology increases these networks become more and more viable. As compared to the client-server model: • Pros: • Usually faster. • More robust. • More efficient. • Cons: • Constrained CPU/RAM of device to provide proper service • More susceptible to physical/regional limitations. • Less secure/private.

11. So... Which is better? • It depends on the specific social network. • Some considerations: • Regional network? • Amount of data transferred? • Type and sensitivity of data?

12. Safe and secure? • A lot of personal data is put onto social networking sites, much of it you might not want ‘strangers’ to get their mitts on. • Some security issues in mobile social networking. (From a technical aspect) • Eavesdropping • Listening to the conversation between two clients or client-server, often, to gain access to personal information. • Spoofing • Gaining access to the (network) ID of a user and broadcasting yourself as the user. • Man in the Middle • Intercept data being transmitted between two nodes and relay the information without either node being aware. (potentially altering the information.) • Peer-to-peer networks are especially vulnerable to these attacks.

13. C’est tout. • Mobile social networking involves many constraints and considerations. • As mobile computing and social networks continue to gain popularity, these constraints and considerations will become more and more relevant to us. • As technology progresses some of these constraints will become less important, but new constraints and considerations will come forth.

14. References • Beach, Aaron, Mike Gartrell, and Richard Han. "Solutions to Security and Privacy Issues in Mobile Social Networking." Http://www.cs.colorado.edu. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~rhan/Papers/smw09_solutions_security _privacy.pdf>. • Boyd, Danah M., and Nicole B. Ellison. "Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship." Http://www.danah.org. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://www.danah.org/papers/JCMCIntro.pdf>. • Lane, Nick, Nicky Walton-Flynn, and Freda Benlamlih. WHITE PAPER – MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING. Http://www.telecoms.com. ITM. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://www.telecoms.com/files/2009/05/buongiorno_final- fmt_nl-3110-f.pdf>. • Miluzzo, Emiliano, Nicholas D. Lane, Kristóf Fodor, Ronald Peterson, Hong Lu, MircoMusolesi, Shane B. Eisenman, Xiao Zheng, and Andrew T. Campbell. "Sensing Meets Mobile Social Networks: The Design, Implementation and Evaluation of the CenceMe Application." Dartmouth College, Columbia University. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.