Ethan Wang

About Me

I am a first-year Ph.D. student studying Computer Science at the University of California, Davis, advised by Zubair Shafiq. Before starting my Ph.D., I completed my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science also at UC Davis.

My research currently focuses broadly on agentic bot detection and investigating how AI browsers (such as ChatGPT Atlas and Perplexity Comet) maintain user privacy. I am particularly interested in understanding the behavior of these bots, how they can be detected, and how AI can be used to browse the web responsibly.

There is growing interest in using AI for agentic automation, shown by emerging technologies such as MCP, agentic web browsing assistants, and AI browsers. However, many new technologies have historically dedicated more resources to developing and optimizing new features than securing their products and ensuring user privacy.

I strongly believe that consumers of these technologies should not have to suffer from missing/defective security and privacy features. These technologies should also not be abused by users for malicious purposes. Specifically, I am passionate about investigating how these agentic technologies work at a lower level, the signals they produce, and behavioral patterns they exhibit to create systems that protect users and their right to privacy.

Outside of work, some of my favorite activities are spending time with my friends and family, learning how to do new things, hiking/driving to explore new scenery, playing sports and running, and experiencing good stories through a variety of media, particularly reading, watching movies, and playing games. I also enjoy seeing new parts of the world and experiencing different cultures through traveling to expand my horizons.