Is PageRank Scary?
Of all the topics in our most recent lectures, PageRank struck me as potentially the most impactful on my own and my peers’ daily life. Looking up questions is an activity most people do a considerable amount daily, and those who control what pops up when the small magnifying glass is hit therefore wield a lot of power. Whatever they (or the algorithm they implement) choose to show searchers online controls everything from how searchers write research papers to how they treat themselves when they’re sick. While mulling over how PageRank has or hasn’t been addressed in the media recently, anti-conservative media bias accusations came to mind. After doing a bit of Googling (ironic, I know) I came across an article on WIRED magazine’s website, linked to below. The author writes about recent criticism Google has grappled with as a result of an alleged tendency for Google to produce negative articles relating to conservative lawmakers and policies high up on Google search results pages. Surprisingly, the criticism culminated in a Congressional questioning.
According to the article, at the questioning, Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, explained to members of Congress that Google’s algorithm considers over 200 indicators when giving users results, including “relevance, freshness, popularity, how other people are using it.” Essentially, if a lot of people have many negative things to say relating to conservative people or policies, then that negative sentiment is more likely to be reflected on Google Search. This response, while seemingly exonerating Google of bias against conservative topics in the media, is a bit unsettling. The questions raised in my mind are the following: Does PageRank have some way of fact checking sources, to be sure that negative comments and articles are not based on fabricated material? Does PageRank have protections against promulgating articles which become relevant by the work of bots giving said articles millions of fake clicks? Is it Google’s responsibility to account for those problems? Could Congress pass a law making Google adjust PageRank to account for those problems? Is Google capable of doing so?
PageRank is an example of how technology can outgrow its initial simple purpose (to show people the websites and articles most relevant to their search terms) and become a source for tension and debate. “Relevant” can mean different things depending on the search terms used, and the idea that an algorithm ill-fitted to today’s internet could be answering all my questions makes me uneasy. Finally, this discussion raises the question of when a technology might be too ingrained in the world’s social fabric to stop using. Can the world back out of PageRank if need be and what might that look like? I am excited to learn more about PageRank in lecture, and perhaps find some answers to all my questions!
Link to article mentioned above: https://www.wired.com/story/google-algorithm-conservatives-biased-its-just-not-human/