Protecting User Privacy in Web Search Utilization

Book excerpt: Online user privacy is a delicate issue that has been unfortunately overlooked by technology corporations and especially the public since the birth of the internet. Many online businesses and services such as web search engines, retailers, and social network sites exploit user data for profit. There is a misconception among people about the term “privacy.” Usually, people think that privacy is the ability of an individual to isolate themselves or that it is a person’s right to control access to their personal information. However, privacy is not just about revealing secret information; it also includes exploiting user personal data, as the exploitation of personal data may lead to disastrous consequences. Protecting User Privacy in Web Search Utilization presents both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary works on questions related to experiences and phenomena that can or could be covered by concepts regarding the protection and privacy of web service users. It further highlights the importance of web search privacy to the readers and educates them about recent developments in the field. Covering topics such as AI-based intrusion detection, desktop search engines, and privacy risks, this premier reference source is an essential resource for students and educators of higher education, data experts, privacy professionals and engineers, IT managers, software developers, government officials, archivists and librarians, privacy rights activists, researchers, and academicians.