Question

The Search Engine Predictor is a new software technology that will run as a plugin to most popular web browsers: Google Chrome etc. It will automatically create a profile for the user and collect data from their search history. As the plugin is used, it will gather further data based on what the user does in their browser. With this information, it will attempt to autofill keywords into any search engine to narrow searches down to what the user would most likely want to see. Here is the information about the search engine. PLEASE KINDLY WRITE AT LEAST THREE PARAGRAPH. Outline some of the ethical challenges this technology / service might face with regard to privacy.

Answer 1

Outlining the ethical challenges the Search Engine Predictor plugin technology or service in web browsers, for example, Google Chrome might face with regard to privacy:

As the Search Engine Predictor service's function, in the process, it sends or shares the user's details, collecting his/her data (probably even his/her profile been created by the web browser say, Google Chrome,) from their search history, user's online, especially web surfing activities and behaviour using Google Chrome, in this case, saved website favourites or bookmarks, settings, and other personal details, likes, dislikes, comments, shared items and details, any cloud-synced data, his/her demographics details, etc.

In this "data using and sharing" action of the web browser, clearly, user's privacy and personal space are being monitored by the systems and servers, and these would always store the logs and data forever. Also, since the web browser vendor would share this information of users' to its partners, clients, and other marketing and selling agencies, or companies, governments, any other government entities or agencies for surveillance purposes, users are taken their privacy from them.

Third-party companies, government, other agencies, and entities who acquire users' online presence, behavior, and other data would use them for their business, marketing, selling, advertisement, lead generation, and surveillance purposes, bothering the users. Due to this, users would lose their online freedom, privacy, anonymity, and may even lose these in their real, regular, and physical lives.

Yes, using this Search Engine Predictor service is definitely useful for users and it is also easy, convenient, efficient, effective, and quick in achieving many online related tasks such as searching, browsing or surfing Internet through the plugin's recommended news, videos, posts, advertisements, etc., relevant to the user's personal choices, behavior, activities, tastes, likes, and demographic. Also, the service personalizes and provides more relevant results to the user.

This technology is already facing challenges of incorrectly and wrongly predicting, advising, biasing, suggesting, and even recommending products, services, and information to users while searching for information, purchasing items, or simply surfing the Internet.

From the policy, and terms and conditions perspective, the users would have been informed with all the necessary information in writing of their consent and agreement upon using this service, and even how their specified data would be used, to which, the users do provide their consent, agree upon, and use the services.

However, per ethics, all the web browser vendors should be more transparent in how their users' data are being used by them, what users' exact data are used, and to what purposes, and especially who exactly uses these details. Also, all the parties, entities, companies, agencies, and governments, involved in using these users' data should abide by the policy to secure the users' data. Users are and should be given the opt-out settings option from not using this Search Engine Predictor plugin, in case they choose so.

The ethical challenges or concerns are:
* The issue of pro data collection: Where user's online data, settings, personal data, activities, interests, behavior, clicks, etc are used to build up his/her profile and provide them advertisements for marketing and selling purposes, where search engines being free of charge for users, their source of income is revenue and the users and their data are the products they sell to their sponsors, advertisers, companies, sellers, etc.
* There is a problem of opacity or non-transparency, fairness of automated decision-making, and search engine bias or specifically, algorithmic bias.
* There is surveillance and monitoring ethical implications.
* Most importantly, there are security, privacy, consent, and non-voluntary disclosure of personal information implications.
* There is integrity concern.

* The issue of anti-data collection:
Search engines collect, store, process, manipulate, and catalog a lot of data about their users, and hence, there is a possibility of accidental data leak or the breach, and even intentional hacking. Governments also get these data of users from these search engines and web browser vendors and they get to maintain databases of it. Also, the search query database information shared by the search engines and web browser vendors is used by private litigants to be in turn used in divorces or employment disputes civil cases.