The search engine manipulation effect (SEME) and its possible impact on the outcomes of elections by Robert Epstein and Ronald E. Robertson

The search engine manipulation effect (SEME) and its possible impact on the outcomes of elections by Robert Epstein and Ronald E. Robertson (American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, Vista, CA 92084 Edited by Jacob N. Shapiro, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ) Here the authors report "the results of five relevant double-blind, randomized controlled experiments, using a total of 4,556 undecided voters representing diverse demographic characteristics of the voting populations of the United States and India. The results of these experiments demonstrate that (i) biased search rankings can shift the voting preferences of undecided voters by 20% or more, (ii) the shift can be much higher in some demographic groups, and (iii) search ranking bias can be masked so that people show no awareness of the manipulation. We call this type of influence, which might be applicable to a variety of attitudes and beliefs, the search engine manipulation effect. Given that many elections are won by small margins, our results suggest that a search engine company has the power to influence the results of a substantial number of elections with impunity. The impact of such manipulations would be especially large in countries dominated by a single search engine company."