Equal access to online information? Google’s suicide-prevention disparities may amplify a global digital divide

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12656299
AutoresSebastian Scherr (0000-0003-4730-1575, KU Leuven, autor de correspondencia), Mario Haim (0000-0002-0643-2299), Florian Arendt (0000-0003-1107-8682, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
Año2018
Volumen21
Número3
Páginas562-582
Fecha de publicación2018-09-24
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaNew Media & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1461-4448 • E-ISSN: 1461-7315
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1461444818801010
OpenAlexW2892917680
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas17
Referencias citadas60

Worldwide, people profit from equally accessible online health information via search engines. Therefore, equal access to health information is a global imperative. We studied one specific scenario, in which Google functions as a gatekeeper when people seek suicide-related information using both helpful and harmful suicide-related search terms. To help prevent suicides, Google implemented a “suicide-prevention result” (SPR) at the very top of such search results. While this effort deserves credit, the present investigation compiled evidence that the SPR is not equally displayed to all users. Using a virtual agent-based testing methodology, a set of 3 studies in 11 countries found that the presentation of the SPR varies depending on where people search for suicide-related information. Language is a key factor explaining these differences. Google’s algorithms thereby contribute to a global digital divide in online health-information access with possibly lethal consequences. Higher and globally balanced display frequencies are desirable

Computer security · Digital divide · Internet privacy · Key (lock · Set (abstract data type · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Data-Driven Disease Surveillance · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Misinformation and Its Impacts