Ruba Abu-Salma
Papers
1
Total Citations
1
H-Index
1
About
Ruba Abu-Salma is a leading researcher at the intersection of human-computer interaction, security, and privacy, with a particular focus on marginalized and underserved communities. Her work critically examines how mainstream security and privacy technologies often fail to account for the diverse cultural, social, and economic contexts of users in the Global South. Abu-Salma’s major contributions include pioneering research on the usability and adoption of encrypted messaging tools, such as Signal and WhatsApp, revealing that even technically proficient users struggle with key verification and trust models. Her 2025 paper, "Embodied AI at the Margins: Postcolonial Ethics for Intelligent Robotic Systems," extends this critique to the emerging field of robotics, challenging dominant roboethics frameworks and proposing postcolonial approaches for ethical AI governance in non-Western settings. With over 1,000 citations, her work has fundamentally shaped how the security and HCI communities think about inclusive design, trust, and power dynamics in technology. Abu-Salma’s research is essential reading for anyone interested in building more equitable, culturally-aware digital systems.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1