Virginia Tech researchers inject thousands of fake identities into real political campaigns to uncover how personal data is shared, used, or compromised. Their Black Hat USA 2025 session reveals disturbing truths about privacy, ethics, and digital manipulation in modern politics.
What happens when you inject thousands of fake identities into the political ecosystem to monitor how personal data is used—or abused? That’s the question Virginia Tech’s Alan Michaels and Jared Byers explore through their multi-year research project, “Use and Abuse of Personal Information: The Politics Edition.”
With support from 130 students across 21 majors, Michaels and Byers create realistic digital personas—complete with phone numbers, emails, and physical addresses—and sign them up across 1,400 political campaigns. Their goal? Understand how political organizations treat personal data: whether it’s used ethically, shared with third parties, or even exposed through insecure systems.
The findings are both fascinating and concerning. Their data shows that candidates across the political spectrum often prioritize fundraising above all else. The language and targeting vary, but the endgame is consistent: solicit donations and votes. And yes—these candidates frequently share or leak personal data. Sometimes it’s deliberate, sometimes it’s sloppy, and occasionally it’s the result of potential breaches.
The team examines differences in how data is handled based on whether an identity donates or not, or whether it’s tied to in-state versus out-of-state addresses. They even explore how generative AI and psychometric modeling can craft convincing personalities for these fake identities—tools that can just as easily be used for political influence campaigns and psychological manipulation.
But this project isn’t about political sides—it’s about accountability. The research remains strictly apolitical, letting the data speak for itself. Michaels and Byers are careful to avoid influencing public opinion through misinformation, focusing instead on documenting the reality of digital privacy in modern campaigning.
As more of the political playbook shifts into the digital arena, this session at Black Hat USA 2025 pushes attendees to confront an uncomfortable truth: the cost of participation in political life may include the exploitation of your digital identity.
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Guests:
Alan Michaels, Professor and Director, Spectrum Dominance Division at Virginia Tech | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-michaels-1066814/
Jared Byers, Research Associate at Virginia Tech National Security Institute | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-byers-8a477324b/
Hosts:
Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com
Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine | Website: https://www.marcociappelli.com
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Episode Sponsors
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Resources
Session: Use and Abuse of Personal Information -- Politics Edition: https://www.blackhat.com/us-25/briefings/schedule/#use-and-abuse-of-personal-information----politics-edition-45529
Learn more and catch more stories from our Black Hat USA 2025 coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/bhusa25
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KEYWORDS
sean martin, marco ciappelli, alan michaels, jared byers, black hat, privacy, politics, data, ai, research, event coverage, on location, conference