User:Ashkan Soltani

I am a researcher and consultant focused on privacy, security, and behavioral economics. My recent academic work; "KnowPrivacy: The Current State of Web Privacy, Data Collection, and Information Sharing"and "Flash Cookies and Privacy" focuses on comparing consumers' expectations of privacy with actual online practices in an attempt to highlight potentially deceptive practices. The latter paper has been the subject of multiple class action lawsuits.

Prior to working as a researcher, I led a career as an independent technology consultant assisting in software development, data-mining, and network security for organizations such as Amazon.com, France Telecom, and the Department of Homeland Security. I hold a Masters in Information Management and Systems from the UC Berkeley School of Information and a Bachelors in Cognitive Science from UC San Diego. My studies were focused at the intersection of law, technology, and behavioral economics.

I is currently consulting as a Technologist to the Federal Trade Commission as well as assisting media outlets like the WSJ in understanding the online tracking ecosystem. See http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703977004575393121635952084.html