Search

Search engines connect people to information, from current events to dark secrets. Integral in the navigation of so many people’s daily lives, search engines hold immense power and influence; yet, the process is opaque with little public accountability. Given search engines’ ubiquity of use, and the perception that they are a public service, the profit model of selling user data raises unique ethical concerns. This paper identifies these ethical concerns and proposes guiding theories for how ethical internet search should work in democratic societies. We apply a disclosive computer ethics model to internet search, evaluating the concerns against principles of justice, freedom, privacy, and democracy, and then considering how ethical theories could be applied through laws and regulation, societal norms, market forces, and technological architecture. We argue that current governance approaches are insufficient to address these concerns. Our research shows these concerns are especially troubling given the surprising lack of transparency for something so universal and integral for the navigation of daily life. Search engine companies have become the gatekeepers of knowledge, yet innovations in technology outpace public awareness of the inherent ethical concerns and resulting social implications of how these companies operate., http://archive.org/details/disclosivesearch1094564091, Major, United States Army, Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Search engines connect people to information, from current events to dark secrets. Integral in the navigation of so many people’s daily lives, search engines hold immense power and influence; yet, the process is opaque with little public accountability. Given search engines’ ubiquity of use, and the perception that they are a public service, the profit model of selling user data raises unique ethical concerns. This paper identifies these ethical concerns and proposes guiding theories for how ethical internet search should work in democratic societies. We apply a disclosive computer ethics model to internet search, evaluating the concerns against principles of justice, freedom, privacy, and democracy, and then considering how ethical theories could be applied through laws and regulation, societal norms, market forces, and technological architecture. We argue that current governance approaches are insufficient to address these concerns. Our research shows these concerns are especially troubling given the surprising lack of transparency for something so universal and integral for the navigation of daily life. Search engine companies have become the gatekeepers of knowledge, yet innovations in technology outpace public awareness of the inherent ethical concerns and resulting social implications of how these companies operate.