Security researchers are currently debating whether personalization online could become a form of censorship. Websites, news media sites, social networking sites and advertisers are all sharing personal data about individuals with the goal of more effectively targeting information for those individuals. For example, a news media website might highlight several articles under the heading “Recommended for You” based on age, ethnicity, location, profession and items searched previously. If a user only received news under this heading, it could be limiting. The same principle holds for search engines that filter results according to algorithms that factor a user’s personal information.
“You may have the impression that search engines are neutral conduits, but the results you receive could present a restricted worldview,” said Feamster. “In the case of search filtering, most users are completely unaware and have no method to widen search results beyond what the engine supplies.”