Children can bypass age verification procedures in popular social media apps by lying

Children of all ages can completely bypass age verification measures to sign-up to the world’s most popular social media apps including Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Skype and Discord by simply lying about their age, researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software have discovered. And even potential age verification solutions...

One in four adults say that they are likely to participate in online exercise classes

One in four Irish adults say they are likely to participate in an online exercise class in the future, according to a nationwide survey by Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. Lero, a world-leading research organisation and home to Ireland’s first esports research lab, commissioned RED C Research to conduct the survey....

Lero researchers presented with awards for research excellence

Two Lero researchers received NUI Galway President’s Awards for Research Excellence. Dr Eoin Whelan received a Research Supervisor Award. Eoin is a Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems at NUI Galway. His research explores the psychology underlying engagement with interactive digital media such as smartphones, social networking sites, fitness tracking apps, and online gambling and gaming...

Research finds Covid Tracker App users unsure of benefits

Almost four in ten users of the HSE’s Covid Tracker App are unsure of its benefit in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus, researchers have revealed. Researchers at Lero, NUI Galway and University of Limerick (UL) said the results of the survey should be considered when planning communications around the value of smartphone-assisted...

Funding success for COVID-19 misinformation research

Dr Ciara Greene, Associate Professor in UCD School of Psychology and Lero’s Dr Gillian Murphy of UCC have been awarded funding to support their research project “Inoculating against COVID-19 misinformation”.  More than €180,000 has been allocated to the project, which examines how people respond to misinformation about COVID-19. The research will also explore a range...

Researchers seek public view on the HSE’s Covid Tracker app

Lero researchers at NUI Galway and University of Limerick are looking for members of the public and smartphone users to participate in a study on attitudes to the use of a Covid-19 contact tracing app. As the country exits Level 5 public health restrictions in the run up to Christmas, the research team say it...

World’s first Principal Engineer Doctoral Apprenticeship programme now recruiting

Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, has partnered with University of Limerick to deliver the world’s first Principal Engineer Doctoral Apprenticeship. The Professional Doctorate in Engineering (DEng) is also Ireland’s first qualification at level 10 funded through the national apprenticeships programme. Unlike the majority of apprenticeships, the Principal Engineer Doctoral apprenticeship is aimed...

Lero poll shows 280% rise in people attending virtual GP clinics

There has been a 280% increase in the number of patients attending virtual clinics with their GPs during the Covid-19 crisis, according to a nationwide survey by Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. Lero, a world leader in connected-health and ehealth research, commissioned RED C Research to conduct the survey from October...

Do Irish people trust the Government with their data?

Lero and Adapt researchers at Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, National College of Ireland and Middlesex University London, are asking the public about their attitudes to privacy, data sharing and the COVID-19 app during the pandemic. The study, Irish attitudes to privacy in COVID-19 times is part of PRIVATT – Assessing Irish attitudes to privacy in times...

Majority of Irish people favour national ID card and e-voting from home in future elections and referendums

A nationwide survey by Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, has found that 58% of the Irish population would support electronic voting from home in elections and referendums and an even greater number, 69%, favour the introduction of a national identity card. Lero, a world leader in data privacy and cybersecurity research, commissioned...