VALLEY FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA — DuckDuckGo, a search engine focused on privacy, claims that Google has been manipulating search results to show different users different results.
DuckDuckGo conducted a study that found a majority of its 87 participants ended up with different search results for the same three keywords: "gun control", "immigration," and "vaccinations."
Factors such as location, incognito mode, logging in and logging out were controlled for during the study, DuckDuckGo said.
Participants were instructed to conduct the searches at the exact same time, using the exact same mode.
The study found that Google search results came up with a number of different variations for the same topic.
For instance, 76 people searched for the term "gun control" at the same time, logged out and using incognito mode across the U.S.
As many as 62 differents sets of search results were shown to the participants.
DuckDuckGo claims Google creates "filter bubbles" for its users based on factors such as search history and location.
The Valley Forge, Pennsylvania-based company also claims Google is personalizing search results for users even when they are in incognito mode and that Google uses personalization to shows users news articles that align with their worldview.
In a statement to The Verge, Google called the study's methodology "flawed" and said that differences in search results are not based on personalization.
Google said the difference search results could be the result of number of factors including time and location.
