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2024 Norm Hardy Prize Awarded by Foresight Institute for ‘Advances in Usable Security’

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — In an age where reliable computer security is critical, Foresight Institute proudly announces Dr. Serge Egelman, Dr. Alisa Frik, Conor Gilsenan, and Prof. Eyal Peer as winners of the inaugural 2024 Norm Hardy Prize for their significant contribution to the field of usable security. This prize celebrates work building upon the vision of the late computer scientist, Norm Hardy, best known for identifying the confused deputy vulnerability.

Personalized cybersecurity nudges significantly boost user behavior change. By tailoring reminders to individual traits and decision-making styles, the team increased password security and update adoption effectiveness fourfold compared to generic approaches.

His most significant contribution to the field was KeyKOS, a capability-secure operating system that ran on commodity hardware, as well as creating core parts of capability-secure languages and protocols. Hardy underscored the necessity of building inherently secure systems complemented by interaction designs that enable users to operate these systems securely and intuitively. Established in 1986, Foresight Institute is a leading nonprofit and public interest organization focused on emerging world-shaping technologies. Foresight Institute encourages responsible advancements in transformative technologies, aiming to steer innovations towards solutions for urgent global challenges.

“In what kind of architecture can the deputy use each permission only for the purpose it was given, without being led to use them for other purposes?” – Norm Hardy Published Paper: “Protect Me Tomorrow”: Commitment Nudges to Remedy Compromised Passwords https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689038 Project Summary and People: Internet users often neglect important security actions (e.g., installing security updates or changing passwords) because they interrupt users’ main task at inopportune times. Commitment nudges, such as reminders and promises, have been found to be effective at reducing procrastination in other domains. In a series of online experiments, we explored the effects of reminders and promises on users’ willingness to change a compromised password, enable automatic updates, backups, and two-factor authentication.

We find that adding an option to delay the task increases the share of people willing to eventually change their password considerably. Critically, the option to delay yields this overall increase without reducing the share of people choosing to change their password immediately. Additionally, most participants who promised to change their password later, or asked to be reminded to do so, indeed followed through on their commitment, leading to a net positive effect. Reminding participants of their previous commitment further increased this effect. We also demonstrated how tailoring nudges to individual traits and decision-making styles can lead to considerably better outcomes, increasing nudges’ effectiveness up to four times compared to administering “one-size-fits-all” nudges. Dr. Alisa Frik Dr. Alisa Frik is a research scientist at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI). She is a member of the Usable Security and Privacy research group and the Berkeley Laboratory for Usable and Experimental Security (BLUES).

She applies her expertise in social sciences, behavioral and experimental economics, decision-making, behavior change, and choice architecture to investigate privacy and security attitudes, behaviors, expectations and preferences of regular and underrepresented populations of online users and software developers. She explores how contextual and human factors, including trust, heuristics and biases, and behavioral interventions, such as personalized nudges, affect users’ privacy and security behaviors and decisions. She focuses not only on web and mobile privacy and security, but also on emerging technologies in healthcare, Internet of Things, digital advertising, smart voice assistants, Augmented Reality, and Artificial Intelligence. She is experienced in survey and interview design, online, lab and field experiments, experience sampling, and other mixed methods (including quantitative and qualitative analyses).

She has obtained a Ph.D. degree in Economics at the School of Social Sciences, University of Trento, Italy. Visit Alisa’s website to learn more about her current research, publications, or to access her CV. Dr. Serge Egelman Dr. Serge Egelman is Research Director of the Usable Security & Privacy Group at the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) and also holds an appointment in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at the University of California, Berkeley. He leads the Berkeley Laboratory for Usable and Experimental Security (BLUES), which is the amalgamation of his ICSI and UCB research groups. Serge’s research focuses on the intersection of privacy, computer security, and human-computer interaction, with the specific aim of better understanding how people make decisions surrounding their privacy and security, and then creating data-driven improvements to systems and interfaces. This has included human subjects research on social networking privacy, access controls, authentication mechanisms, web browser security warnings, and privacy-enhancing technologies. His work has received multiple best paper awards, including seven ACM CHI Honorable Mentions, the 2012 Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) Distinguished Paper Award for his work on smartphone application permissions, as well as the 2017 SOUPS Impact Award, and the 2012 Information Systems Research Best Published Paper Award for his work on consumers’ willingness to pay for online privacy. He received his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University and prior to that was an undergraduate at the University of Virginia. He has also performed research at NIST, Brown University, Microsoft Research, and Xerox PARC.

Conor Gilsenan Conor joined BLUES (Berkeley Laboratory for Usable and Experimental Security) in 2019 as a CS doctoral student at the University of California, Berkeley. While Conor’s research encompasses usable security and privacy, he is particularly interested in building tools to help people overcome the inherent usability challenges in authentication and account recovery systems. Prior to embarking on academic research, Conor worked in industry as a software engineer for almost 10 years. Prof. Eyal Peer Eyal is a social psychologist and behavioral decision researcher, with a focus on Judgment & Decision-Making processes and their applications for Behavioral Public Policy. Eyal’s research examines how Choice Architecture and Nudges can be used to help people make better decisions for themselves, for others, and for the public good. Eyal has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Psychology from School of Education at Hebrew University, B.A. in Behavioral Sciences from Ruppin Academic Center, and.completed a Postdoctoral fellowship, with Fulbright scholarship, at Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College of Public Policy Eyal is the co-founder, with Dr. Roni Lotan, of For a Change: Applied Research Lab for Behavioral Solutions in Health and Sustainability www.forachange.org.il

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JwhdW84B4vHYwMCTVcW2S2SKPSE_-lax-uksiCyCq7o/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.7muqy0xg57sl

Media Contact

Niamh Peren, The Foresight Institute, 1 2129616892, niamh@foresight.org, www.foresight.org

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/2024-norm-hardy-prize-awarded-by-foresight-institute-for-advances-in-usable-security-302344249.html

SOURCE The Foresight Institute

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Meiyume (Group) LTD Achieves EcoVadis Gold Rating for 2026, Reinforcing Commitment to Sustainable Beauty

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HONG KONG, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Meiyume (Group) LTD has achieved the EcoVadis Gold rating for 2026, with the company being in the 96th percentile globally and among the top-performing companies for sustainability.

EcoVadis evaluates companies across environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The Gold rating reflects Meiyume’s strong performance and continued commitment to embedding sustainability across its supply chain.

A supplier’s commitment to sustainability is increasingly important to brands, as they work to meet rising regulatory requirements and evolving consumer expectations for transparency and responsible practices. In this landscape, choosing the right partners is essential. Partners like Meiyume play a key role in enabling more responsible, future-ready solutions while helping to strengthen sustainability standards across the supply chain.

A Holistic Sustainability Strategy: Meiyume’s 5Ps Framework

Meiyume’s sustainability approach is guided by its 5Ps framework: Product, Process, Places, People, and Principle, ensuring a comprehensive integration across the business:

Product – Advancing sustainable innovation in formulations and packaging

Process – Strengthening responsible sourcing and supply chain practices

Places – Enhancing operational efficiency and environmental performance

People – Fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace

Principle – Upholding strong governance and compliance standards

Sustainability as an Ongoing Journey

While the EcoVadis Gold rating marks an important milestone, Meiyume views sustainability as an ongoing journey. The company remains committed to strengthening its sustainability performance and supporting beauty and personal care brands in achieving their sustainability goals.

About Meiyume:

Formerly LF Beauty, Meiyume offers end-to-end beauty solutions—packaging, ODM, OEM —grounded in sustainability and insights. Powered by it’s Beauty Intelligence Platform and a global sourcing network, Meiyume brings visions to life with agility, intelligence, and responsibility.

https://meiyume.com/
2/F HK Spinners Industrial Building, Phases I & II, 800 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

SOURCE Meiyume

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Marketna: Launching Smart Arabic Platform for Digital Classified Ads

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DUBAI, UAE, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — “Marketna” has announced the launch of its new digital classified advertising platform for the Arab world, available through its mobile app and website.

With the slogan “Easy Buy and Sell,” Marketna is a platform connecting buyers and sellers across various sectors, including cars, property, electronics, home furniture and appliances, jobs, and services, enabling users to advertise and sell almost anything.

 

 

The platform, enhanced with artificial intelligence technologies, aims to simplify the online advertising process through a secure and user-friendly environment.

Marketna offers its services in both Arabic and English, currently covering nine Arab countries: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Lebanon. Expansion is underway to include Syria, Iraq, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, along with the addition of French as a supported language.

This initiative comes as part of Marketna’s vision to become a leading digital e-commerce platform across the Arab world, with a focus on the quality of user experience.

Marketna aims to build an inclusive online community that connects the region’s markets, thereby boosting the prosperity of the Arab digital economy.

Smooth and Easy Classified Ad Creation and Publishing

Marketna is built on four core pillars that make the buying and selling experience unique:

Speed and Simplicity: One-step registration and three-step ad postingSafety and Trust: Focus on protecting user data and privacyPremium Service: Fast ad approval and exceptional customer supportGreater Outreach: Maximum exposure to the target audience

Supporting Individuals and Business Owners

The platform offers individual sellers additional features through a “Premium” membership, granting ongoing benefits such as the ability to publish unlimited ads, extended ad validity, priority in search results, and a special seller badge.

Through a “Business” account, which can be created in just a few minutes, Marketna provides dedicated accounts for small, medium, and large business owners, enabling them to advertise cars and real estate in a professional way.

New users, both individuals and merchants, can post their basic ads for free, and receive exclusive discounts to boost their ads upon upgrading to a “Premium” or “Business Plus” membership, allowing them to reach a larger pool of potential buyers.

An Optimal User Experience via the Marketna Smart App

The Marketna Classified Ads Smart App is available for Android devices on the Google Play Store, allowing users to browse ads and post listings from anywhere, at any time, with the ability to communicate directly through in-app chat.

The app features a simplified, modern, and responsive interface. An iOS version for Apple devices is coming soon, with the goal of supporting all users.

For more information about Marketna and its services, visit the official website at https://marketna.com.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2963238/Marketna_Classified_Ads.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2963239/Marketna_Logo.jpg

 

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marketna-launching-smart-arabic-platform-for-digital-classified-ads-302758903.html

SOURCE Marketna

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2026 Hong Kong Corporate Gift Purchasing Trends Report: BeGiftHK Reveals “Specialization and Wellness” as the New Standard for Corporate Gifting

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HONG KONG, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BeGiftHK, a leading professional corporate gift company in Hong Kong, today officially released the “2026 Corporate Gift Purchasing Trends Report.” The report highlights that following profound changes in corporate culture in the post-pandemic era, the Hong Kong B2B gift market has officially moved away from the “low-price, high-volume” model. It has been replaced by a new purchasing logic centered on “Employee Wellness” and “Brand Specialization.”

Pickleball Customization: The New Corporate Sports Social Favorite of 2026

The most prominent trend highlighted in the report is the strong rise of “sports social gifts.” Data shows that in the first quarter of 2026, inquiries for Pickleball customization equipment surged by 210% compared to the same period last year.

A spokesperson for BeGiftHK analyzed: “In 2026, a corporate gift is no longer just an object; it is a brand touchpoint. Due to its low entry barrier and high participation across all age groups, Pickleball has become the top choice for large enterprises for hosting Team Building and ESG promotion activities. The professional-grade T700 carbon fiber paddles we provide, combined with high-quality customized designs, successfully transform the act of gifting into a highly social brand experience.”

Technology Defines Authority: Full-Color UV Digital Printing Enhances Corporate Image

Regarding the craftsmanship requirements for gift customization, purchasers in 2026 have demonstrated unprecedented attention to detail. The report indicates that over 85% of multinational organizations and financial enterprises prioritize the precision of printing technology when selecting a Hong Kong corporate gift company.

BeGiftHK has addressed the limitations of traditional screen printing, such as the inability to render gradients and high-precision logos, by introducing cutting-edge “Full-Color UV Digital Printing” technology. This commitment to professionalism has led BeGiftHK to frequently receive high praise as a “Souvenir Recommendation of the Year” in various commercial evaluations.

ESG Transformation: From “Green Products” to “Social Responsibility”

The report concludes by emphasizing that ESG factors have permeated every stage of the purchasing decision. In 2026, the demand for “Recycled PET (RPET)” materials and “Sustainable Sports Solutions” among Hong Kong enterprises consistently accounted for over 40% of the market share. Through its robust supply chain accumulated over years of deep cultivation in the Hong Kong market, BeGiftHK not only provides eco-friendly materials but also assists organizations in planning gift solutions with social impact, integrating “ESG narratives” into every exquisite gift box.

Rooted in Hong Kong, Defining the Future

As an established authoritative brand in the market, BeGiftHK, with its keen market insights and excellent execution, has successfully provided one-stop corporate gift customization services for numerous NGOs, educational institutions, and Fortune 500 companies. Looking ahead, the company will continue to drive industry innovation, creating the most valuable brand souvenirs for Hong Kong organizations with a more professional and forward-looking vision.

About BeGiftHK

BeGiftHK is a professional gift solution provider headquartered in Hong Kong. The company is committed to providing customers with closed-loop gift customization services, including design, production, quality inspection, and logistics, through innovative technology and a unique industry perspective. With the core concepts of “Professionalism, Design, and Value,” BeGiftHK is a designated gift partner for many large-scale events and corporate anniversary celebrations in Hong Kong.

Media Inquiries, please contact:

Contact Person: BeGiftHK Customer Service DepartmentCompany Name: Ideas Promotion Ltd (BeGiftHK)Phone: +852 3490 6532Email: info@ideaspromotion.com.hkWebsite: https://begifthk.com

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SOURCE BeGiftHK

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