ÖIAT Research

The Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications (ÖIAT) has been promoting the competent, safe and responsible use of digital media for more than 20 years. Together with our partners, we conduct research on current topics related to the digital world. On this page we provide an overview of past and current research projects.

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CLEMENTINE - Cybersecurity Literacy in Knowledge Transfer for Upper Secondary Education in Austria

2024/10 – 2025/09
Children & Young People Cybersecurity Digital Literacy

The digitization forms an essential basis for progress towards a contemporary society. Against the backdrop of high development dynamics in the field of cybersecurity on the one hand, and in anticipation of upcoming breakthroughs in other emerging and disruptive technologies, it is crucial to further advance society's awareness of cybersecurity. Lack of awareness and knowledge regarding the complex topic of cybersecurity pose challenges to companies across industries. Unfiltered data access and unrestricted sharing of data and content on the internet offer new, easily and rapidly exploitable attack surfaces for cybercriminals. Therefore, CLEMENTINE addresses research needs to integrate cybersecurity into school education.

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StopFraud

2023/07 – 2025/06
Fraud Detection Online Shopping

For online retailers it is increasingly difficult to persist in today’s market conditions. The dominance of big players and a lack of customer trust are inconveniences, however, the activities of fraudulent players put additional pressure on retailers. By using the same marketing tools as reputable e-commerce companies like advertising on social media and in search engines, criminal actors are suppressing the visibility of legitimate actors on online platforms. The strategic ACR project StopFraud aims to combat these fraudulent players in e-commerce, to strengthen small and medium businesses in Austria.

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#NoAds? Stealth Advertising on TikTok

2024/12 – 2025/05
Consumer Protection Dark Patterns Social Media

As TikTok has rapidly evolved into one of the leading social media platforms, a complex advertising ecosystem has emerged. This system encompasses a wide range of advertising formats and marketing tools: from official (and paid) advertisements, influencer marketing, and brand collaborations to live commerce features and branded challenges. The aim of this study, commissioned by the Vienna Chamber of Labour, is to examine advertising and sponsored content on the TikTok platform.

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Generative Artificial Intelligence and Consumer Protection

2024/08 – 2025/01
Artificial Intelligence Consumer Protection Discrimination & Bias

The study aims to investigate the extent to which generative AI technology affects Austrian consumers in customer-facing applications. The potential impacts of generative AI on consumer experiences will be analyzed and relevant applications currently in use identified. Additionally, case studies will be developed which illustrate the implications of generative AI on consumers; including the examination of the legal, economic, and societal implications associated with these applications. Lastly, the study will assess best and worst practices that may influence the effects of generative AI on consumer interactions.

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Fight Fakes

2024/01 – 2025/01
Artificial Intelligence Deepfakes Disinformation Gamification

As generative AI becomes more accessible, deepfakes are on the rise. In "Fight Fakes", we are developing a learning environment where young people can practice recognizing (deep) fakes quickly, intuitively and playfully.

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RIO - Resilience in Online Trade

2022/11 – 2024/10
Artificial Intelligence Cybercrime Cybersecurity Fraud Fraud Detection Online Shopping

The project "Resilience in Online Trade" (RIO), funded by the Austrian security research program KIRAS 2021, builds on the success of previous AI-based fake shop detection projects. RIO aims to develop a modular, scalable, and easily extensible open-source platform to deliver AI-based risk assessment services, methods for identifying clusters of related fraudulent activities, and tools for fraud prevention in online marketplaces. Additionally, the project seeks to implement a minimally invasive mobile app that provides real-time protection against e-commerce fraud.

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PCS - Platform Compliance Study

2023/01 – 2024/06
Dark Patterns Online Shopping

In this project, we investigate the phenomena of dark patterns and behavioural advertising. The aim is to evaluate, through research, and development, which methods and tools can be used to detect and document violations in the interest of consumer authorities.

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Consumer Protection in Mobile Gaming

2023/05 – 2024/04
Children & Young People Consumer Protection Online Games

Computer and mobile games are now a major global industry, and smartphones are by far the most popular gaming platform among children and young people. However, digital games are often based on questionable business models. In the study 'Consumer Protection in Mobile Gaming', we take a closer look at these business models.

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Fraud Seeker

2023/01 – 2023/12
Cybercrime Fraud Fraud Detection Online Shopping

The aim of Fraud Seeker is to significantly expand the scope of Watchlist Internet's fraud prevention measures. Every day, Watchlist Internet receives dozens of reports about current Internet scams, which are manually processed and answered by experts. In recent months, there has been a striking number of attempted scams involving investments and pharmaceuticals. Fraud Seeker gets to the bottom of this trend.

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Problematic Dropshippers from Austria/Germany

2023/05 – 2023/11
Consumer Protection Online Shopping

More and more consumers are ordering from drop shippers. At the same time, the number of complaints to the Internet Ombudsstelle and Watchlist Internet is increasing. Selected problematic dropshipping merchants from Austria and Germany are evaluated by means of test orders. The results are summarised in a study so that consumer protection organisations can issue well-founded warnings to suppliers.

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