Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Nowadays, people across the world are increasingly turning to social media, and industries are also starting to embrace it to improve and broaden their businesses. Social media represents a virtual community in which people with a shared interest, such as a specific hobby or activity, can interact and socialize with each other. As such, online social networks (or online communities of interest) are formed, uniting their members and providing opportunities of mutual interest. The concept of the social network has, in recent years, also been emerging from information and communication technology perspectives in order to provide efficient communication platforms and computing systems to deliver data services to a variety of social networking applications. This model is especially effective when it also takes a user?s current social context into consideration, for example, their physical locations. Recently, with the pervasiveness of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, a mobile version of the social network known as Mobile Social Network (MSN), is booming; MSN is characterized by the use of wireless communication techniques and smartphones. It brings us a ubiquitous and omnipotent communication platform, helping us to stay connected better than ever; however, despite the tremendous benefits of MSN and its applications, MSN still faces many security and privacy challenges. One such challenge is protecting location privacy in booming location-based services in MSNs. These services allow mobile users to utilize their location information to access some location-based services nearby, or share information with other mobile users in close proximity to them. The proposed research is envisioned to address these challenges, particularly, by considering autonomous and decentralized MSN and its applications, which has not been a major consideration in previously reported studies. The proposed research will also help Canada to establish and reinforce its leadership in Information Technology (IT) around the world; it will allow for new technologies and service, and create new innovative directions in mobile computing. As such, new business models and revenue streams can also be fostered and devised. The HQP trained through the program will be equipped with security technologies, as well as wireless communications and mobile computing; these are crucial for success in today's era of mobile computing, and will help to ensure a prosperous future for the Canadian IT industry.