/\__/\    /
(  ´ ∀`)< hi i'm mona! i do research, art, and puzzles
(      ) \_____ 
 |  | | 
(___)_)
    
bird site | code site | cv | monaw at princeton dot edu

research

I’m currently a Ph.D. Candidate at Princeton’s Center for IT Policy and Research Fellow at Citizen Lab. I used to be a Staff Technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, where I maintained Certbot and wrote about tech policy.

network and platform surveillance

As an Open Tech Fellow at Citizen Lab, I'm researching various privacy aspects of WeChat and its application ecosystem. I have also collaborated with Censored Planet to study the deployment of network filters across the Internet.

tech & labor

I’m working on a few projects investigating post-COVID use of surveillance software in the workplace. I've researched how labor organizers threat model for privacy and security in online workplaces. I also co-run a reading group that reads papers about global trends in algorithmic management and the effect of tech development on modern labor practices, centering the worker perspective.

art

I make oil paintings, murals, and lots of other things. I've been training in Thuluth Arabic calligraphy since 2017 and Sinii-style Arabic calligraphy since 2022 with Haji Noor Deen 米广江. I also draw and sell Genshin Impact fanart.

puzzles

I love doing puzzles. I also love writing puzzles! I've designed several puzzlehunts and escape rooms. I helped Teammate write the 2023 MIT Mystery Hunt, where I also designed the character and art for the Ascent round, vaguely based on "biblically accurate angel" memes and the Tower of Babel. The puzzles I am most proud of constructing are Book of Fixed Stars, a puzzle which utilizes Arabic, and Fountain.