I recently delivered my first research talk at USEC 2026 co-located with NDSS, presenting my first PhD paper on a new and unexpected AI-powered NSFW deepfake marketplace that seems to be hiding in plain sight on Fiverr.
It felt a bit surreal. I was presenting work I care about to people whose work I had followed online and learned from for years, back when I was still an undergrad in Egypt. Meeting them in person, sharing my own work, and talking with them made the experience exceptional for me.
I'm grateful to my advisor, Ram Sundara Raman, who was there that day as always. I'm also thankful to my co-author and mentor, Alejandro Cuevas. We missed him at the conference, and I appreciate his guidance throughout this work and in preparing for the talk.
You can read the full paper or see the original LinkedIn post.