Renée Ridgway

The data visualizations and interactive touch screen show the value of keywords measured through the lens of ‘personalized’ and ‘anonymized’ search results (URLs). The research was conducted on two computers: one using Google Search in a Firefox browser on a completely ‘personalized’ Apple (signed into a Gmail account, no ad blocking plug-ins, no incognito, etc.). With personalization, Google customizes its algorithms in regard to keywords, search history and browsing habits to offer relevance and recommendations. The other computer is a hacker approved ‘clean’ Lenovo PC, with a Debian operating system running the Tor (The Onion Router) browser. Since May 2016, Tor incorporates ‘Disconnect Search’ into its bundle, which provides private Google search results, as the IP address is hidden and the user ostensibly anonymous.