Politehnika (Jan 2022)
Internet browser search result manipulations related to Covid-19 vaccine
Abstract
An Internet search engine is a specialized web site whose main function is to help find information. The information we collect through such internet search engines is often used to make important decisions although it may not always be considered accurate and true. At the time of the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19), it was noted that a large amount of information and news related to the disease was spread on social networks, but they were often inaccurate and false. The media often emphasise that the competent persons should be listened to and the official websites monitored in order to obtain accurate information. To find such information, we often use search engines. Search engine algorithms work by using special programs (crawlers, robots) to collect web pages which are analyzed and displayed in the form of links to search results on internet search engines. What is not so well known is that such search results are also subject to various manipulation techniques such as astroturfing and Google bombing, which aim to influence the attitudes of those who search for them. Since the current topic is vaccination against the aforementioned disease, for the purposes of this paper, a study was conducted by searching complex terms in internet search engines about the vaccine to find out whether these manipulation techniques are used.
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