Yet Google’s attempt to remedy “bias” paradoxically creates bias. DuckDuckGo does not appear to similarly manipulate its search results, letting its search findings simply reflect the most popular and relevant web pages according to their search engine’s algorithm.īias can be interpreted differently by different parties. In a political environment in which the facts are often disputed by both sides, it is worrisome not just that Google has such enormous power to establish fact from fiction, but that it frequently seems to do so. As information science professor Helen Nissenbaum puts it, there are several implications for “venerated political freedoms of speech, association, communication, conscience, and religious affiliation.” When search engine companies conduct themselves in a biased manner, and when those companies have a veritable monopoly online, this effectively curtails freedom of speech.
When we use search engines, there is more at stake than meets the eye. This becomes quite evident when comparing Google’s search results to its competitor search engines, such as the more politically neutral DuckDuckGo. Second, in the last few years, Google appears to have begun manipulating its search results - especially on controversial topics.
But this intellectual discourse has been limited in two ways: First, Google began to dominate the market in searches, now accounting for 90 percent of web searches.
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