Equal access to online information? Google's suicide-prevention disparities may amplify a global digital divide
Equal access to online information? Google's suicide-prevention disparities may amplify a global digital divide
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DOI：
10.1177/1461444818801010
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发表时间：
2019-03-01
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Arendt, Florian
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Scherr, Sebastian;Haim, Mario;Arendt, Florian
在世界范围内，人们通过搜索引擎从同样可获得的在线健康信息中获益。因此，平等获得卫生信息是全球的当务之急。我们研究了一个特定的场景，在这个场景中，当人们使用有用和有害的自杀相关搜索词来寻找自杀相关信息时，谷歌就扮演了看门人的角色。为了帮助防止自杀，谷歌在搜索结果的顶部设置了一个“自杀预防结果”（SPR）。虽然这一努力值得赞扬，但目前的调查汇编的证据表明，SPR并没有平等地显示给所有用户。使用基于虚拟代理的测试方法，在11个国家进行的一组3项研究发现，SPR的呈现方式取决于人们搜索自杀相关信息的位置。语言是解释这些差异的关键因素。因此，谷歌的算法在在线健康信息获取方面造成了全球数字鸿沟，并可能带来致命的后果。更高的和全局平衡的显示频率是期望的。
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.