ENCIETY
The internet uses systems that filter information based on who we are and what we like. Algorithms give each person a different view shaped by their interests. Ads on a Facebook homepage or in search results, for example, may reflect the content we have engaged with. Two people with different interests are likely to see different ads.
Google’s search systems observe signals such as the computer and browser we use, our location, and the sites we visit. These signals help estimate our interests and predict which information may be relevant.
Google introduced personalization, though many people did not notice it. Search results are no longer necessarily the same for every user in every location.
One senior Google executive described a concern about this personalized future: if a system predicts our behavior well, we may receive information from only the perspectives we already prefer, without seeing other sides or checking what is true. Personalization can make our judgment more subjective by narrowing what we encounter.