ABSTRACT | An increasing number of web services are now using personalization algorithms to shape the content they serve to their users in order to best meet users’ tastes and needs. In many cases, personalization provides advantages for users but the lack of transparency is leading to concerns about its potential negative effects. In this talk, I will introduce a general methodology I developed for measuring personalization that can be used across multiple different web services. I will then present results from the audits and measurements I conducted on various web-based search services and online retail sites.
BIO | Ancsa recently defended her PhD in the College of Computer & Information Science at Northeastern University. Her advisors were Alan Mislove and David Lazer. In her research, she is investigating the impacts of personalization in various Web services. Ancsa is also interested in data mining and measurements on online social networks and learning new tools for analyzing large data sets. For her detailed resume, please see her cv.