NOTWITHSTANDING the strong rebuttal of the unproven claims made by the US President on Tuesday via Twitter, that ‘Google & others’ are “hiding information and news that is good, ”there is an ongoing arms race taking place between search engines (such as Google) and those who wish to appear more visible when so-called relevant searches are made. You may have the unsettling experience of casually browsing a website and viewing the items on display, then almost immediately, finding yourself bombarded by offers for related items when you browse other eCommerce websites. It is remarkable how technology can be used to send information, usually related information, in your direction. Unfortunately, when algorithms are used to pick items that may be of relevance, something equal and opposite must happen to other items that you may find interesting.
This perspective is certainly not to support the now-dismissed claim of large technology firms hiding information and “controlling what we can & cannot see,” but to briefly explain how that could be misinterpreted. According to the President’s Twitter message, this is a ”very serious situation” that will be addressed. But how exactly?
Perhaps shedding some light on the details in which algorithms are used to promote stories or search results would be helpful in adding transparency to a non-visible process. Of course, in the technology arms race, showing your opponents your cards or your algorithmic details may just lead to exactly the sort of manipulation that is most feared!
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About the Author
Dr.Lyndell St. Ville is an ICT Consultant based in Saint Lucia. His expertise includes systems analysis, design, and capacity building.