Report on dangers and opportunities posed by large search engines, particularly Google (original) (raw)
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Restricting the View and Connecting the Dots - Dangers of a Web Search Engine Monopoly
Journal of Universal Computer Science, 2006
Everyone realizes how powerful the few big Web search engine companies have become, both in terms of financial resources due to soaring stock quotes and in terms of the still hidden value of the wealth of information available to them. Following the common belief that "information is power" the implications of what the data collection of a de-facto monopolist in the field like Google could be used for should be obvious. However, user studies show that the real implications of what a company like Google can do, is already doing, and might do in a not too distant future, are not explicitly clear to most people.
Searching inside Google: Cases, Controversies and the Future of the World's Most Provocative Company
2010
For a company whose motto is "Do No Evil," Google certainly has its share of detractors. The company is at the center of numerous controversies that will determine how people use the Internet, find information, and communicate with each other. Professor Jon Garon explores the cases that will shape Google's future and the implications for copyright and trademark owners, including: the latest AdWords' case Rescuecom v. Google, the proposed Book Search settlement, the Viacom v. YouTube copyright infringement case, and looming antitrust investigations. He also will speculate about the future of Google as it consolidates its control over online search and advertising and expands into telecommunications, mobile devices and cloud computing.
DATAMINING AND COPYRIGHT: A CASE STUDY OF GOOGLE SEARCH OPERATIONS IN UGANDA
Google search engine has in recent times caused a backlash from authors, and creators of works, contesting its ability to store, manipulate and make available works of authors through links to the masses. This has undermined distribution, reproduction and other rights envisaged under copyright law. This study using Google as its cadaver sets out to determine how Google operates and the impact of its operations on copyright in Uganda. This study has highlighted the use of data mining methods underneath the hood of the Google search engine, it is these data mining methods used by Google that manipulate digital works. It is shown in this study that for every link provided in the search results page there is data mining involved. These data mining methods have been considered in great detail. Equally the legislative framework of Uganda is considered to determine its effectiveness in this data mining age. Using a case study design of Google operations in Uganda, interviews were conducted with Google officials, data mining experts at Makerere University and Dimension data, officials at the URRO, URSB and legal experts at KATS, Sebalu and Lule and SIPI Advocates. Results from the study disclose how Google Search operates. They equally confirm that Google Search does indeed eliminate control of distribution and reproduction rights, however it is equally established in the study that authors and creators concerns are purely economic. Put simply authors are more concerned with making the ultimate economic reward for their creative efforts, it was observed that Google Search in promoting these economic interests is quite a handy tool in promoting authors and creators works. This is especially so due to Google Search’s ability to create an advertising presence on the internet. The study concludes with recommendations as regards: rights under copyright in this new environment created by Google, legislative considerations, using Google and data mining methods generally to promote economic interests. Furthermore the study recommended areas of further research such as data mining and its ability to promote authors and creators works.
Search engines play an increasingly pivotal role in the distribution and eventual construction of knowledge, yet they are largely unnoticed, their procedures are opaque, and they are almost completely devoid of independent oversight. In this paper the author examines three areas in which we encounter difficult and persistent ethical issues in search engine technology: The problem of algorithm and the lack of transparency of the search process, the problem of privacy with regards of the possibility to monitor search histories, and the problem of local censorship. The given findings lead to the conclusion that the development of structures of accountability for search engines is an important task for the near future.
In Search We Trust: Exploring how Search Engines are Shaping Society
Nowadays, people live in a society that has fuelled the growth of information delivered across many communication channels. Technology has enabled the 'knowledification' of our society (providing information through digital means). Undoubtedly, the Internet is the world's largest communication network which has ported data across various conduits to provide information and in many ways, continues to shape us as a society. Information if available '24/7' often contributing towards technological connectivity and technological anxiety. Some of the key factors which have contributed to this are the sense of information availability and searchability. Moreover, digital search has assumed a position of central importance in the way that people access and use online information and services in everyday life. In this article, the author examines the dominance of search, the power it presents to those who control it, its role in shaping access to information, and its capacity to function as a reflection of our society. By shaping both what people know and how people know it, search engines and their organisations are able to wield an immense amount of social power. In doing so, the author revisits the concept of search and unmasks its ability to act as a social control or gatekeepers of information which shapes society. The contribution of this paper is summarised in the Search Engine Success Model which examines how society is shaped through search engine organisations who are gatekeepers of information.
THE PANOPTIC GAZE OF WEB SEARCH ENGINES: GOOGLE AS AN INFRASTRUCTURE OF DATAVEILLANCE
2006
Introduction In January 2006 it was revealed that the US Justice Department asked a federal judge to compel the web search engine Google to turn over records on millions of its users' search queries as part of the government's effort to uphold an online pornography law {Mintz, 2006,# 39586; Hafner and Richtel, 2006,# 35058}. Google resisted, but Amierca Online, Microsoft and Yahoo! complied with similar government subpoenas of their search records {Hafner and Richtel, 2006,# 35058}.
The Social, Political, Economic, and Cultural Dimensions of Search Engines: An Introduction
Search engines are some of the most popular destinations on the Web-understandably so, given the vast amounts of information available to users and the need for help in sifting through online content. While the results of significant technical achievements, search engines are also embedded in social processes and institutions that influence how they function and how they are used. This special theme section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication explores these non-technical aspects of search engines and their uses.
The Decline and Fall of the Search Engine Empire
The paper argues that searching and search engines are very important aspects of the World Wide Web. It asserts that commercial search engines have not progressed in capability since 1998 and the introduction of Google and its PageRank algorithm. PageRank is identified as a problem that prevents users from obtaining the search engine results that would be of most use to them. The basic problems of search engine retrieval are considered alongside two areas of research which if successful could address them. The question, “Will search engines ever get any better?” is posed.