Originally designed as an information tool, the internet has evolved into a powerful marketing and commercial instrument. Thus, search engines (and other internet companies) track their users tirelessly, collecting huge amounts of data, and providing personalized results to us, their users. Can your search results be considered neutral in this context?

The data monetization market (i.e. making money out of users’ data) is worth billions of US$ and it is growing at a fast pace: 20%. Your online activities are increasingly being tracked, resulting in countless information biases. Controlling your information results has become indispensable nowadays.

Users and governments are pressuring the GAFAMs to stop using and following us insidiously. The US Congress’s “Filter Bubble Transparency Act” (November 2021) is a small step towards more transparency. NOYB.EU (None of Your Business, for the European Centre for Digital Rights) is a strong advocate of greater disclosure when it comes to online user privacy. The EU-US “Privacy Shield” is another manifestation of this. Additionally, the various legal and other class actions against the GAFAMs are clear indications that users want more regulation for these internet giants. 

What you can do today

  1. Make sure to use search engines, browsers, fact-checking tools, and other apps that allow you to control your privacy and information. Among privacy-oriented search engines are duckduckgo.com, startpage.com, and swisscows.com. To know more, websearch private search engines – 2022  top or best.
  2. Learn to quickly spot advertisements in your search results, at least the ones with the small Ad letters at the beginning of the result hit or where “Sponsored“ is mentioned. Most of them appear at the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP), particularly the first one/s. Nevertheless, commercial intentions are sometimes much more subtle and difficult to pinpoint.
  3. In this case (and many others), step back and question the information you intend to use. Ask yourself “why this information“, what are the intentions behind it, and what are the motivations of the author to make it public. It is not always easy to do, but a valuable step to seize a piece of information in its totality.
  4. Technology-wise, delete your search history and regularly clean your cookies (websearch delete search history cookies).
  5. Rely on multiple sources and search tools when seeking information, and always stay vigilant and skeptical. Disturbing patterns are easier to spot by comparing different information.
  6. A June 2020 HuffPost webinar on fighting online misinformation recommends being super careful when a piece of information makes you react strongly (either positively or negatively). You may be dealing with false information. And when one is the basis of critical decisions, like your health, double your efforts. Don’t take it for granted. Evaluate and assess it.
  7. Target “4R” information (Relevant – Reliable – Recent (Current) and Rich (Varied)). Our second Handbook (expected to be released in the third quarter of 2022) focuses on evaluating and managing information, as well as exploring the world of information.   

To conclude, until the regulatory situation regarding privacy is stricter and clearer, do not let the systems tell you how to search and what results are the right ones. For more on privacy issues and biased information incurred by Google and the likes, check the last chapter of our first Handbook.