Don't get caught in the filter bubble

[smilodon]

The think I like the most about the web is that I get to read stuff from people who hold different views than my own. I think it's dangerous to just surround ourselves with the thoughts and ideas we already agree with. If I do pick up a newspaper I try not to read the same one all the time. I'll browse the Times, Guardian, Telegraph, Economist and Independent rather than just regularly read one of them. If I just read the Telegraph I'd get a word view that was bias towards a right wing Conservative view point. Read just the economist and I'm getting a wishy washy liberal world view etc.

However the advances in Search Engine technology mean that increasingly our search results are being tailored towards us as individuals. The providers of these services even tout this 'personalisation' as a benefit and something we should be pleased about. Privacy concerns aside what this means is that I am increasingly getting search results that are 'tailored' to searches I have already made. So in effect the web is being filtered for me and I'm receiving results that fit more with my own existing world view rather than ones that simply fulfil the search requirement. I'm less and less likely to see links to web sites that disagree with or challenge my world view and that's a dangerous thing.

There's a nice little graphic from the search engine duckduckgo.com that illustrates this nicely. I've done a check by doing a Google search while logged into my Google account and then logged out with cookies cleared and I do get very different search results. It's quite scary to think that I'm seeing a self censored version of the web.

http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html

http://dontbubble.us/

[TeaLeaf]

Turn off 'personal search' results (Web history).   Mine was already turned off, so I think that earns me a free beer?

http://support.google.com/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35892

[smilodon]

That works if you're the sort of computer user that knows about the option, which we nerds are but most other people aren't. I can do stuff to get unbiased search results but how many of the millions of PC illiterate users are going to have no idea about browser settings, Do Not Track options and such like. Companies like Google, Yahoo etc need to consider the effect their algorithms have on their users.

[TeaLeaf]

You're absolutely right, I was not disagreeing with you at all, just providing the answer to unfilter yourself.

[smilodon]

Aha sorry for that. I read my original post and I was referring to me in there a lot. The reality is I probably go OTT about making my searches and web use private. Firefox with DuckDuckGo search plus a smattering of Firefox addons plus the judicious use of Tor works for me.  I just never thought about the issues surrounding personalised search before. Up till now it's all been about personal privacy.

Bit I do wonder how my results are being adjusted based on the fact that I'm a UK, London based surfer using Firefox on an Ubuntu Linux system to make that search. What assumptions are being made about the sort of results I should see. How would they differ if I was surfing in the USA, on a Mac using Safari?

[Benny]

Ooh, I'd thought about that for a while and never really looked into it. I've just changed my settings here. A lot of it is about what you are looking for. If it's where to buy the cheapest shed (I search that a lot), then I guess it's not so important but if it's social commentary and educated opinion it must become more of a factor. I've looked at Tor before and never really got into it but having just re-visited I may have another crack at it.

Truth is we are all sheep, to keep this computer based we essentially live in a matrix seeing what we're allowed to. The only paper I read is the Sunday Times, predominantly because I like the app on the iPad and to your point in the other thread, it would be inconvenient to change it now. What a terrible state of affairs it is when acceptance can be gleaned by making something ever so slightly inconvenient.

[TeaLeaf]

If you are searching via Tor then they'll not know you are London-based.   Far end does not know what or where near end is.

[smilodon]

Yeah but Tor isn't something I use often. I'm cautious not paranoid