EAGER: Personalization in the Information Age

这项工作旨在了解个性化算法在流行的在线论坛的程度和影响。 PI正在研究网络搜索引擎、社交网站以及Pintrest、Yelp和Reddit等推荐服务。 虽然众所周知，这些类别的信息源中的每一个都执行广泛的个性化，但还没有仔细分析它们的努力对用户所看到的内容的影响。 这项工作正在努力回答一些基本问题：不同用户的体验有多大差异？ 这些服务使用哪些功能作为其个性化算法的输入？ 它们是如何收集的，又储存在哪里？ 在某种程度上，服务向不同的用户显示不同的信息，用户是否知道，他们（或第三方）是否可以管理和利用这些变化？ 该研究项目旨在了解各种形式的信息操纵-而不是彻底的审查-对互联网的影响。 特别是个性化算法被认为有可能将用户放在里面？过滤气泡？在那里他们只看到已经与他们的观点一致的信息。 在最坏的情况下，攻击者可以主动操纵内容的生成、发现和访问方式。这项工作将开发技术，使用户能够控制他们看到的信息，以减轻信息操纵的影响。 这一努力的具体成果包括帮助用户的原型机制？正常化？个性化技术和潜在的交替在线之间移动？个性？

This work seeks to understand the extent and impact of personalization algorithms in popular on-line forums. In particular, the PI is studying web search engines, social networking sites, and recommendation services like Pintrest, Yelp and Reddit. While it is well known that each of these classes of information sources perform extensive personalization, there has not been a careful analysis on the impact of their efforts on what users see. This effort is working to answer a number of fundamental questions: How different are the experiences of distinct users? What features do the services use as input to their personalization algorithms? How are they gathered, and where are they stored? To the extent that the services display different information to different users, are users aware, and can they - or third parties - manage and exploit these changes? This research project aims to understand the impact of various forms of information manipulation - as opposed to outright censorship - on the Internet. Personalization algorithms in particular are known to have the potential to place users inside ?filter bubbles?, where they see only information that already aligns with their viewpoints. In the worst case, adversaries can actively manipulate how content is produced, discovered, and accessed. This work will develop technologies to give users control over the information that they see to mitigate the effects of information manipulation. Concrete outcomes of this effort include prototype mechanisms to help users ?normalize? personalization technologies and potentially move between alternate on-line ?personalities.?