互联网让我们几乎可以无限制地获取信息。但是，这些信息的可信度如何？阴谋论和错误信息在互联网上猖獗。有争议(Controversial)甚至危险的内容并不难找到。
因此，我们想知道哪些搜索引擎提供了最令人担忧的信息。我们将搜索重点放在以下类别：
- 争议(Controversies)：任何被认为具有分裂性的事物，包括Covid-19疫苗、批判性种族理论和 2020 年大选。
- 阴谋(Conspiracies)：声称某个事件或一系列情况的理论来自强大的个人或团体进行的秘密阴谋。例如，登月是骗局的阴谋论。
- 危险意图(Dangerous intent)：任何导致危险情况的事物，例如制造高压锅炸弹或如何打印 3D 枪。
然后，我们分析了每个结果，将它们分为四大类。这些类别是：
- 错误信息或耸人听闻的信息：(Misinformation or sensationalized information:)不真实的信息、错误信息或歪曲的数据作为事实呈现以引起兴趣。
- 赞成阴谋(Pro-conspiracy)：支持阴谋论或引入新的阴谋论。
- 不加批判：(Uncritical:)故意中立。不支持一个可能令人担忧的想法，但也不反对它。
- 有害(Harmful)：积极引导读者度过危险情况，例如自杀。
我们分析了来自四个搜索引擎（Google、Yahoo、Bing和DuckDuckGo）的 2,640 个结果，以发现哪些信息最受关注。
Google提供了最少的惊人结果(Fewest Alarming Results)，而DuckDuckGo提供了最多
这项研究发现四大搜索引擎之间存在明显差异。尤其是他们如何处理危险或令人担忧的搜索结果。我们将危险结果视为具有危险意图、传播错误信息或推动阴谋论的结果。
只有 3% 的谷歌搜索结果(Google’s search results)是危险的——到目前为止，这四个搜索引擎中最少的。接下来(Next)是Yahoo，四分之一的结果导致负面或危险的资源。DuckDuckGo和Bing最有可能提供危险的结果。Bing和DuckDuckGo的结果中有近三分之一是负面的或令人震惊的。这是有道理的，因为DuckDuckGo 从 Bing 的索引 中提取了很多结果。(pulls a lot of its results)
在DuckDuckGo(DuckDuckGo)和Bing上接触危险信息的可能性是在Google上的 9 倍。雅虎用户遇到危险结果的可能性是谷歌(Google)用户的七倍。这些结果显示了人们在互联网上遇到危险信息的可能性有多大。
(Search)具有最耸人听闻的结果的(Most Sensationalized Results)搜索引擎
接下来，我们分析了有争议或耸人听闻的主题的搜索结果。其中包括COVID-19、气候变化和拜登总统的心理健康。
在DuckDuckGo(DuckDuckGo)上搜索“拜登(Biden)的心理健康”时，最高结果是“闪回(FLASHBACK)：脑外科医生告诉拜登(Brain Surgeon Told Biden)，他‘完全正常’的机会(Chance)不到 50% 。” 标题暗示拜登(Biden)有健康问题，但内容指的是 1980 年代后期对两个颅动脉瘤进行的手术。
事实上，当涉及到有争议的话题时：
- 27% of DuckDuckGo results被归类为错误信息或耸人听闻。
- 25% of Bing results被归类为错误信息或耸人听闻。
- 18% of Yahoo results被归类为错误信息或耸人听闻。
- 2% of Google results被归类为错误信息或耸人听闻。
“气候变化是一场骗局”为(Climate)DuckDuckGo、Bing和Yahoo返回了最耸人听闻的结果。谷歌(Google)只返回了我们为此类别评估的 150 个结果中的两个耸人听闻的结果。
“红丸”在搜索结果中也很受欢迎。但是，除了谷歌(Google)之外的所有搜索引擎都对它不加批判。这个词本身是有争议的，源于一个著名的矩阵(Matrix)场景。当有人服用“红色药丸”时，他们愿意了解一个可能令人不安或改变生活的真相。今天，这个词经常(often used)被那些倾向于右倾的人使用，比如唐纳德特朗普(Donald Trump)和亚历克斯琼斯(Alex Jones)的支持者。
许多结果提供了毫不掩饰的厌恶女性或其他有害信息。在前 30 个结果中，Google没有返回任何支持Red Pill或同情该术语的较暗信息的内容。(Red Pill)事实上，谷歌(Google)上的第一个结果是一篇名为“吞下红色药丸(Red Pill)：现代厌女症核心之旅”的文章。
(Search Engines That Provide Information)提供具有危险意图的(Dangerous Intent)信息的搜索引擎
为了以危险的意图研究结果，我们专注于围绕枪支、炸弹、毒品和自杀的查询。
与Google用户相比，DuckDuckGo和Bing用户遇到具有危险意图的结果的可能性是其四倍。雅虎用户的可能性是谷歌(Google)用户的 3.6 倍。话虽如此，所有搜索平台都为危险查询返回了有用的结果。
三大主题返回最危险的结果。在所有四个搜索引擎中，以下术语产生了最危险的信息：
在Google、Bing和Yahoo上，“如何(How)打印 3D 枪”返回了更多带有危险意图的结果。在DuckDuckGo上，“如何制造冰毒”提供了更危险的结果。
所有四个平台也都返回了有关自杀的有用结果。但有趣的是Google、Bing和Yahoo与DuckDuckGo之间的差异。
在搜索“最简单的自杀方式”和“最不痛苦的自杀方式”时，谷歌(” Google)、必(Bing)应和雅虎在(Yahoo)国家预防自杀生命线(National Suicide Prevention Lifeline)的号码旁边提供了大量有用的信息。它旨在在用户打开搜索结果之前吸引他们的注意力。
在DuckDuckGo上，“如何自杀”提示自杀预防资源显示在搜索结果上方。但是，在搜索“最简单或最不痛苦的自杀方法”时，这些资源不会出现。事实上，“最简单”查询的第一个结果甚至在元描述中暗示了安眠药，尽管帖子本身包含阻止自杀的信息。
正如这项研究表明的那样，DuckDuckGo上的搜索结果似乎是过滤或筛选最少的。
对阴谋最友好的搜索(Search)引擎
搜索(Search)引擎在什么样的阴谋内容通过它方面是不平等的。大多数美国人(Americans) 至少相信一个阴谋(believe in at least one conspiracy)。但随着互联网比以前更容易与他人联系，阴谋比以往任何时候都传播得更快。
DuckDuckGo是对阴谋最友好的搜索引擎。与Bing和Yahoo一起，这些平台允许在结果的前三页中包含支持阴谋的来源。值得注意的是，在前三页中，信誉良好的消息来源和新闻报道的数量超过了支持阴谋的网站。
在DuckDuckGo、Bing和Yahoo上，返回支持阴谋资源的最受欢迎的阴谋是“杰弗里·爱泼斯坦被谋杀了吗”和“9/11 内部工作”。” DuckDuckGo和Bing也有许多支持阴谋的结果，这些结果都出现在“桑迪胡克骗局”中。
总体而言，与DuckDuckGo(DuckDuckGo)或Bing相比，Yahoo 的首页被支持阴谋的结果更少。
在Google上，只有两个重要的阴谋条款返回任何支持资源：9/11 和登月。所有其他阴谋论都返回了反驳阴谋论的专业和学术资源。
哪些网站出现最多？
搜索(Search)引擎只是信息检索方程式的一部分。为每个查询返回的特定网站会影响争议、阴谋和危险意图条款的传播。因此，我们希望更好地了解每个搜索平台为其用户提供的网站类型。
在Google、Bing和DuckDuckGo上，维基百科(Wikipedia)是服务最多的网站。在Yahoo上，博客平台Medium是服务最多的网站。(Medium)有趣(Interestingly)的是，所有四个搜索引擎为YouTube提供的服务比任何单一新闻媒体都多。
在所有搜索结果中，超过 10% 的Google来自机构网站，例如 .gov 和.edu。DuckDuckGo返回的机构结果比Google少 36% ，Bing的返回少 35%。雅虎(Yahoo)返回的机构结果减少了 19%。
谷歌(Google)还提供了最少的社交媒体结果，例如Reddit或Medium等网站。DuckDuckGo提供的社交媒体结果比Google多 54% 。必应(Bing)返回的结果增加了 42%，雅虎(Yahoo)返回的社交媒体结果增加了 27%。
在过去十年中，错误信息和有害言论的传播有所扩大。并且随着不同搜索引擎成为主要平台，搜索结果的内容存在明显差异。
DuckDuckGo更有可能返回有问题的结果。这些可能包括支持阴谋论的网站或具有危险意图的网站。这些相同的结果在Bing上几乎同样可能。
雅虎往往比DuckDuckGo和Bing更严格。它通常返回较少的危险资源和错误信息站点。但是，与其他搜索平台相比， Google会过滤掉更多危险的结果和错误信息。
互联网是人类最伟大的工具之一。它使我们几乎可以研究任何主题，但丰富的信息不仅限于无问题的内容。
许多计算机提示都强调防病毒软件和使用强密码的重要性，但避免在线错误信息和有害内容同样重要。明智地选择您的搜索引擎。并始终注意危险的搜索结果。
方法论(Methodology)：
在 2022 年 3 月 25 日至 3 月 29 日期间，我们分析了四个主要搜索引擎的 2,640 个搜索结果，以确定哪一个返回的结果最危险：Google、Bing、Yahoo 和 DuckDuckGo。 (Between March 25 and March 29, 2022, we analyzed 2,640 search results across four major search engines to determine which one returns the most dangerous results: Google, Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo. )
In order to do so, we created a list of topics that fall under controversies, conspiracies, and dangerous intent. We then analyzed the first 30 results for related queries. Those queries are: Biden’s mental health, is the war in Ukraine justified, critical race theory in schools, gender identity in schools, was Jeffrey Epstein murdered, is the covid vaccine safe, does the covid vaccine change your DNA, does ivermectin work, red pill, how to 3D print a gun, how to make a pressure cooker bomb, how to make meth, did we really land on the moon, Sandy Hook hoax, 9/11 inside job, who is Q, flat earth theory, least painful way to commit suicide, easiest way to commit suicide, did Trump win the election, proof of 2020 election voter fraud, climate change, is climate change real, and climate change hoax.
Which Search Engine Returns the Most Alarming Results?
The internet gives us near-unlimited access to information. But, how trustworthy iѕ that infоrmatiоn? Conspiracy theories and misіnformation are rampant across the internet. Сontroversial and even dangerous content iѕ not difficult to find.
Because of this, we wanted to know which search engines are serving up the most alarming information. We focused our searches on the following categories:
- Controversies: Anything considered to be divisive, including the Covid-19 vaccine, critical race theory, and the 2020 election.
- Conspiracies: Theories that claim an event or set of circumstances result from secret plots conducted by powerful individuals or groups. For example, the conspiracy theory that the moon landing was a hoax.
- Dangerous intent: Anything that leads to a dangerous situation, such as making pressure-cooker bombs or how to print a 3D gun.
We then analyzed each of the results to categorize them into four major categories. Those categories are:
- Misinformation or sensationalized information: Untrue information, misinformation, or skewed data presented as fact to garner interest.
- Pro-conspiracy: Support of a conspiracy theory or introducing a new conspiracy theory.
- Uncritical: Willfully neutral. Not offering support to a potentially alarming idea, but not speaking against it, either.
- Harmful: Actively guiding readers through dangerous situations, such as suicide.
We analyzed 2,640 results from four search engines — Google, Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo — to discover which surfaced the most concerning information.
Google Supplied the Fewest Alarming Results and DuckDuckGo Supplied the Most
This study found a clear difference between the four major search engines. Especially how they handle dangerous or alarming search results. We consider dangerous results as those that have dangerous intent, promote misinformation, or drive conspiracy theories.
Only 3% of Google’s search results were dangerous — the fewest of these four search engines, by far. Next was Yahoo, with 1 in 4 results leading to negative or dangerous resources. DuckDuckGo and Bing were most likely to supply dangerous results. Nearly a third of both Bing and DuckDuckGo’s results were negative or alarming. This makes sense since DuckDuckGo pulls a lot of its results from Bing’s index.
Exposure to dangerous information is nine times more likely on DuckDuckGo and Bing than on Google. Yahoo users were seven times more likely than Google users to come across dangerous results. These results showcase how likely one is to encounter dangerous information on the internet.
Search Engines with the Most Sensationalized Results
Next, we analyzed search results for controversial or sensationalized topics. These included COVID-19, climate change, and President Biden’s mental health.
When searching “Biden’s mental health” on DuckDuckGo, a top result was “FLASHBACK: Brain Surgeon Told Biden He Had Less Than 50% Chance of ‘Being Completely Normal’.” The headline suggests that Biden has a health issue, but the content refers to surgery for two cranial aneurysms in the late 1980s.
In fact, when it comes to controversial topics:
- 27% of DuckDuckGo results were classified as misinformation or sensationalism.
- 25% of Bing results were classified as misinformation or sensationalism.
- 18% of Yahoo results were classified as misinformation or sensationalism.
- 2% of Google results were classified as misinformation or sensationalism.
“Climate change is a hoax” returned the most sensationalized results for DuckDuckGo, Bing, and Yahoo. Google only returned two sensationalized results of the 150 we evaluated for this category.
“Red Pill” was also popular in search results. But, every search engine except for Google was uncritical of it. The term itself is controversial, stemming from a famous Matrix scene. When someone takes the “red pill,” they’re willing to learn a potentially unsettling or life-changing truth. Today, the term is often used by those who lean right, such as Donald Trump and Alex Jones supporters.
Many results offered thinly-veiled misogynistic or otherwise harmful messages. Google returns nothing pro-Red Pill or sympathetic to the term’s darker message in the first 30 results. In fact, the first result on Google is an article called “Swallowing the Red Pill: a journey to the heart of modern misogyny.”
Search Engines That Provide Information With Dangerous Intent
To study results with dangerous intent, we focused on queries around guns, bombs, drugs, and suicide.
Compared to Google users, DuckDuckGo and Bing users are four times more likely to come across results with dangerous intent. Yahoo users are 3.6 times more likely than Google users. With that said, all search platforms returned helpful results for dangerous queries.
Three major topics returned the most dangerous results. Across all four search engines, the following terms resulted in the most hazardous information:
- How to print a 3D gun.
- How to make meth.
- Methods of suicide.
On Google, Bing, and Yahoo, “How to print a 3D gun” returned more results with dangerous intent. On DuckDuckGo, “How to make meth” provided more dangerous results.
All four platforms also returned helpful results regarding suicide. But it’s interesting to note the disparity between Google, Bing, and Yahoo vs. DuckDuckGo.
When searching for “easiest way to commit suicide” and “least painful way to commit suicide,” Google, Bing, and Yahoo have large helpful messages alongside the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is meant to grab a user’s attention before they open a search result.
On DuckDuckGo, “how to commit suicide” prompts suicide prevention resources to display above the search results. But, these resources do not appear when searching for “easiest or least painful methods of suicide.” In fact, the first result for the “easiest” query even suggests sleeping pills in the meta description, though the post itself includes information to deter suicide.
As this study has shown, search results on DuckDuckGo appear to be the least filtered or screened.
The Most Conspiracy-Friendly Search Engines
Search engines are not equal in what kind of conspiracy content makes it through. Most Americans believe in at least one conspiracy. But as the internet has made connecting with others more accessible than before, conspiracies spread faster than ever.
DuckDuckGo is the most conspiracy-friendly search engine. Along with Bing and Yahoo, these platforms allowed pro-conspiracy sources within the first three pages of results. It is important to note that reputable sources and news stories outnumbered pro-conspiracy sites within the first three pages.
On DuckDuckGo, Bing, and Yahoo, the most popular conspiracies that returned pro-conspiracy resources were “Was Jeffrey Epstein murdered” and “9/11 inside job.” DuckDuckGo and Bing also had many pro-conspiracy results that surfaced for “Sandy Hook hoax.”
Overall, Yahoo’s first pages were less populated by pro-conspiracy results than DuckDuckGo or Bing.
On Google, only two significant conspiracy terms return any supporting resources: 9/11 and the moon landing. All other conspiracy theories returned professional and scholarly resources that disprove the conspiracy theories.
Which Websites Surface the Most?
Search engines are just one part of the information-retrieval equation. The specific websites that return for each query impact the transmission of controversies, conspiracies, and terms of dangerous intent. Because of this, we wanted to better understand the types of websites that each search platform provides its users.
On Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia is the most-served website. On Yahoo, Medium, a blogging platform, is the most-served site. Interestingly, all four search engines serve YouTube more than any single news outlet.
Of all search results, more than 10% of Google’s were from institutional sites, such as .gov and .edu. DuckDuckGo returned 36% fewer institutional results than Google, and Bing returned 35% fewer. Yahoo returned 19% fewer institutional results.
Google also served the fewest social media results, such as sites like Reddit or Medium. DuckDuckGo served 54% more social media results than Google. Bing returned 42% more, and Yahoo returned 27% more social media results.
The dissemination of misinformation and harmful rhetoric has expanded over the past decade. And as different search engines have emerged as the major platforms, there is a marked difference in the content of search results.
DuckDuckGo is far more likely to return problematic results. These can include pro-conspiracy theory websites or sites with dangerous intent. These same results were nearly as likely on Bing.
Yahoo tends to be more restrictive than DuckDuckGo and Bing. It generally returns fewer dangerous resources and sites of misinformation. However, Google filters out more dangerous results and misinformation than other search platforms.
The internet is one of humanity’s greatest tools. It allows us to research nearly any topic, but that wealth of information is not limited to problem-free content.
Many computer tips stress the importance of antivirus software and using strong passwords, but evading misinformation and harmful content online is just as important. Choose your search engine wisely. And always watch out for dangerous search results.
Methodology:
Between March 25 and March 29, 2022, we analyzed 2,640 search results across four major search engines to determine which one returns the most dangerous results: Google, Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo.
In order to do so, we created a list of topics that fall under controversies, conspiracies, and dangerous intent. We then analyzed the first 30 results for related queries. Those queries are: Biden’s mental health, is the war in Ukraine justified, critical race theory in schools, gender identity in schools, was Jeffrey Epstein murdered, is the covid vaccine safe, does the covid vaccine change your DNA, does ivermectin work, red pill, how to 3D print a gun, how to make a pressure cooker bomb, how to make meth, did we really land on the moon, Sandy Hook hoax, 9/11 inside job, who is Q, flat earth theory, least painful way to commit suicide, easiest way to commit suicide, did Trump win the election, proof of 2020 election voter fraud, climate change, is climate change real, and climate change hoax.
