‘I was staggered to learn that different people doing an identical internet search will get different results depending on their individual interests and search pattern histories,’ said New Zealand Christian Network National Director Glyn Carpenter. 

‘The implications of this are serious, because search results could tend to highlight items which confirm existing beliefs or prejudices.’

Each time you log onto a page on the internet, data is being gathered about you, allowing websites to target their advertising and content directly to individuals. Eli Pariser, the author of The Filter Bubble: What the Internet is Hiding from You explained how on National Radio.

(Update: the link to National Radio was incorrect when this article was first posted. It has now been corrected. We apologise for the error.)

2 Comments

1. Stephen makes this comment

   Thursday 18 August, 2011

   Great book... sounds like a way to control the masses... as a technologist i say be very wary.

2. John Winsley makes this comment

   Tuesday 16 August, 2011

   Link doesn't work for me. Try a link from http://www.radionz.co.nz/search/results?mode=results&q=Eli+Pariser if you can't get it either.