Robust Matrix Completion for Discrete Rating-Scale Data: Coping with Fake Profiles in Recommender Systems

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Archimbaud, Aurore, Alfons, Andreas, Wilms, Ines
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Archimbaud, Aurore
Alfons, Andreas
Wilms, Ines
author_facet Archimbaud, Aurore
Alfons, Andreas
Wilms, Ines
contents Recommender systems are essential tools in the digital landscape for connecting users with content that more closely aligns with their preferences. Matrix completion is a widely used statistical framework for such systems, aiming to predict a user's preferences for items they have not yet rated by leveraging the observed ratings in a partially filled user-item rating matrix. Realistic applications of matrix completion in recommender systems must address several challenges that are too often neglected: (i) the discrete nature of rating-scale data, (ii) the presence of malicious users who manipulate the system to their advantage through the creation of fake profiles, and (iii) missing-not-at-random patterns, where users are more likely to rate items they expect to enjoy. Our goal in this paper is twofold. First, we propose a novel matrix completion method, robust discrete matrix completion (RDMC), designed specifically to handle the discrete nature of sparse rating-scale data and to remain reliable in the presence of adversarial manipulation. We evaluate RDMC through carefully designed experiments and realistic case studies. Our work therefore, secondly, offers a statistically-sound blueprint for future studies on how to evaluate matrix completion methods for recommender systems under realistic scenarios.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_20802
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Robust Matrix Completion for Discrete Rating-Scale Data: Coping with Fake Profiles in Recommender Systems
Archimbaud, Aurore
Alfons, Andreas
Wilms, Ines
Machine Learning
Computation
Methodology
Recommender systems are essential tools in the digital landscape for connecting users with content that more closely aligns with their preferences. Matrix completion is a widely used statistical framework for such systems, aiming to predict a user's preferences for items they have not yet rated by leveraging the observed ratings in a partially filled user-item rating matrix. Realistic applications of matrix completion in recommender systems must address several challenges that are too often neglected: (i) the discrete nature of rating-scale data, (ii) the presence of malicious users who manipulate the system to their advantage through the creation of fake profiles, and (iii) missing-not-at-random patterns, where users are more likely to rate items they expect to enjoy. Our goal in this paper is twofold. First, we propose a novel matrix completion method, robust discrete matrix completion (RDMC), designed specifically to handle the discrete nature of sparse rating-scale data and to remain reliable in the presence of adversarial manipulation. We evaluate RDMC through carefully designed experiments and realistic case studies. Our work therefore, secondly, offers a statistically-sound blueprint for future studies on how to evaluate matrix completion methods for recommender systems under realistic scenarios.
title Robust Matrix Completion for Discrete Rating-Scale Data: Coping with Fake Profiles in Recommender Systems
topic Machine Learning
Computation
Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.20802