Open AccessEsse est indicato in Google: Ethical and Political Issues in Search Engines
Author(s) -
Lawrence M. Hinman
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
international review of information ethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2563-5638
DOI - 10.29173/irie345
Subject(s) - transparency (behavior) , censorship , accountability , politics , task (project management) , internet privacy , process (computing) , search engine , political science , computer science , public relations , computer security , law , world wide web , economics , management , operating system
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.