News
ATHENE researchers are participating in a research project aimed at combating disinformation on video platforms
Video platforms like TikTok are widely used by young people and are therefore an attractive target for disinformation campaigns. These short videos spread extremely quickly, meaning that false or misleading information reaches a young audience, which is increasingly turning away from traditional news channels, in a matter of moments.
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Successful submissions at ACM CHI
ATHENE researchers are presenting their papers at the prestigious ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, known as CHI. CHI is the leading international conference on human-computer interaction and serves as a platform for researchers, practitioners, and industry leaders to share their latest work and ideas and to foster collaboration and innovation in this field.
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ATHENE project on AI to combat online hate speech: Dr Thea Riebe introduces herself
Hate speech on the internet is on the rise – and AI is set to help identify and combat it more effectively. The CYNTRA project will launch in July 2026 within the ATHENE research area Reliable and Verifiable Information through Secure Media (REVISE). It will be coordinated by Dr. rer nat. Thea Riebe and her colleague Dr. rer. nat. Marc-André Kaufhold, two researchers at TU Darmstadt's group PEASEC – Science and Technology for Peace and Security. In this interview, Thea Riebe introduces herself and her research, and provides insights into the project’s research approach and practical relevance.
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New ATHENE project: Greater security for embedded systems in practice and research
Since the start of the year, ATHENE has been running a new research project entitled ‘Advanced Reverse Engineering Techniques for Embedded and Wireless Systems’ – ARTEWS for short. Until the end of 2029, ATHENE researchers will be working to make the security of embedded systems systematically verifiable – and will be developing complementary tools for this purpose, which will be integrated into a practical toolbox by the end of the project. The target audience comprises small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as academic research groups. The toolbox is designed to help them carry out security analyses in a structured and independent manner.
read moreATHENE researchers have uncovered serious security vulnerabilities in children's smartwatches.
Smartwatches enable children to make calls and send text messages to their parents. Parents can also use the device to track their child's location. Designed for children aged 4–10, these smartwatches serve as an introduction to smartphones. ATHENE researchers from the Secure Mobile Networks (SEEMOO) department at TU Darmstadt, headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Hollick, have examined a children's smartwatch and found that even basic IT security mechanisms were not observed. Doctoral student Nils Rollshausen explains the details of the analysis in an interview.
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Contact
Clara Pfeuffer
ATHENE Digital Hub Cybersecurity
ATHENE Digital Hub Cybersecurity