Signposts in Cyberspace The Domain Name System and Internet Navigation (2005) / Chapter Skim
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8 Internet Navigation: Selected Prospects and Issues
8 Internet Navigation: Selected Prospects and Issues
Pages 349-370
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Part of this activity is devoted to advancing key technologies, three of which are navigation service algorithms and operations, navigation interfaces, and navigation to audio and visual materials. Another part is dedicated to improving navigation performance by addressing some of the distinctive features of Internet navigation (as noted in Section 6.1)
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Some of 1For an overview of research on information retrieval that underlies much of Internet navigation technology, see Ricardo Baeza-Yates and Berthier Ribeiro-Neto, Modern Information Retrieval, Addison-Wesley, Wokingham, U.K., 1999. 2See, for example, Baeza-Yates and Ribeiro-Neto, Chapter 8, "Indexing and Searching," written with Gonzalo Navarro, in Modern Information Retrieval, 1999.
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systems.7 Efforts to improve the algorithms and operations of Internet navigation services will continue, and are likely to increase, because of competitive pressures, evolving user requirements, and technological advances. Unlike the early days, when almost all research and even development was done within academic settings, commercial organizations now devote substantial resources to development and even research.
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Apple Hot Sauce project.11 Others have experimented with mapping results on to two-dimensional spaces. See, for example, Kartoo, a metasearch engine that displays the search term (keyword)
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Microsoft is expected to incorporate an Internet search interface in its next-generation operating system, code-named "Longhorn." It is anticipated that the search interface will be the same for searching the Internet, the local network's files, and the local computer files.15 This feature will encourage users to consider search an integral function of the operating system, rather than a separate application available only through a browser. Future interface designers will also continue to be faced with designing interfaces to fit within form factors16 ranging from small (e.g., cell phones17 and personal digital assistants)
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A number of navigation services using these techniques are available on the Web to find multimedia materials.20 Among them are Google Images, Yahoo! Search Images, Alta Vista Photo Finder, FAST Multimedia Search, and Lycos Pictures and Sounds.
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But should navigation services assume that users are seeking local or global information? At present, the default assumption of a general Internet navigation service is 25 Query by example for textual queries is used in several conventional database systems.
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and e-Bay, such as the prohibition of the sale of Nazi memorabilia in France or of Mein Kampf29 in Germany. Google will recognize Canada as the source of a search dialed in from there.30 Of course, when the user enters geographic information voluntarily, or the device enters it automatically -- as cell phones may soon be able to do- 27 See Stefanie Olsen, "Google Goes Local," cNet news.com, March 17, 2004, available at |
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The incorporation into queries of information about the location of users, either automatically or voluntarily, and the addition of location filters into navigation services' ranking algorithms is already underway and is likely to expand rapidly under the impetus of local advertising revenue.32 User modeling -- the collection, retention, and use of information about specific users to assist in responding to their queries -- is an active research area.33 Creation of user models generates privacy concerns, and this is another area of active research.34 Those user models where the user's identity is known to the organization creating the model (such as 31Such systems are likely to work effectively only if the user wants to be located. The user will have the option to disguise her location or to disable the system.
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Web preservation initiatives comprise three approaches: harvesting, selection, and deposit.35 35 Michael Day, "Preserving the Fabric of Our Lives: A Survey of Web Preservation Initiatives," Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries, 7th European Conference, EDCL, Trondheim, Norway, Springer, Berlin, Germany, 2003.
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At present, the Internet Archive is the only active effort in the United States to preserve and provide access to the history of a significant portion of Internet materials.38 In other countries, however, the national libraries are undertaking similar efforts.39 The International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) was formally chartered at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France with 12 participating institutions, all national libraries (including the Library of Congress)
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If such information were available, it is likely that more effective Internet navigation aids and services could be designed. Research on information seeking in print environments dates back to early in the 20th century, and research on information seeking in electronic environments dates to the 1960s.
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A broader set of metrics, measures, and test beds is needed for the Internet and digital libraries, and their development would also be desirable.43 An array of new National Science Foundation initiatives in cyberinfrastructure may contribute to these efforts.44 8.2 INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES Most of the institutional issues affecting Internet navigation arise with respect to the commercially supported navigation services, and especially with respect to services whose results are influenced by advertiser payments. The expectation by users that they will be able to understand and trust the results presented by navigation systems leads to efforts by governments to impose disclosure requirements on navigation system operators, similar to the way other advertising practices are regulated in many countries.
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regulators concluded in June 2002 that some Internet search engines46 were not adequately informing consumers when advertisers paid for prominent placement in search results. The FTC Division of Advertising Practices sent a letter47 to major search services recommending that they review their Web sites and make any changes necessary to ensure that: · any paid ranking search results are distinguished from non-paid re sults with clear and conspicuous disclosures; · the use of paid inclusion is clearly and conspicuously explained and disclosed; and · no affirmative statement is made that might mislead consumers as to the basis on which a search result is generated.
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users were unaware that some search engines let advertisers pay to get more prominent positions in search results.49 Against this background, the FTC also issued, in September 2002, a consumer alert, "Being Frank About Search Engine Rank," which advises users to be aware that the results of their searches may be affected by various pay-for-placement programs of Internet search engines.50 Although neither of these actions constitutes an enforcement action with the force of law, they do alert the navigation services operators to the interest of the FTC and the possibility that in the absence of change it might consider more formal action. In addition, Internet advertising, whether search engine linked or not, is subject to the same types of national regulation as other advertising with respect to fraudulent or misleading claims and so on.
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federal government and of other governments should pay careful and continuing attention to the result ranking and display practices of Internet navigation services and their advertisers to ensure that information can flow freely and that those critical practices are fully disclosed. Recommendation: Since competition in the market for Internet navigation services promotes innovation, supports consumer choice, and prevents undue control over the location of and access to the diverse resources available via the Internet, public policies should support the competitive marketplace that has emerged and avoid actions that damage it.
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This study could not do them justice, but there are a number of reports and ongoing studies on Internet privacy.55 8.2.3 Trademarks and Copyright Intellectual property rights is an issue whose link to Internet navigation may not be obvious. However, a number of court cases have arisen in which the use of trademarked material in the navigation process has been in dispute.56 Moreover, the extent to which search engines may make use 53See Fallows, Rainie, and Mudd, "The Popularity and Importance of Search Engines," 2004.
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has been established, most disputes in Internet navigation that are not resolved through navigation services' own policies have found their way to the courts. However, thus far, there have been far fewer trademark cases concerning navigation than concerning domain names.
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The court said that Google should "find the means to block advertisements by third parties who have no right to [the] trademarks." In the second case, a Nanterre court told Google to stop selling trademarked terms of the Le Meridien hotel chain as keywords to its competitors or pay a daily fine of 150 euros.63 In the third case, a Paris district court ordered Google not to sell keywords incorporating trademarks of the luxury goods firm Louis Vuitton Malletier and to pay a fine of 200,000 euros.64 In an effort to block a similar case in the United States, Google has 59See Cindy Sherman, "Search Engines and Legal Issues -- October 23, 2002," 2002, available at |
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The judge ruled that it is not trademark infringement to use trademarks as keywords to trigger advertising.66 Copyright Only a few contentious issues have arisen regarding copyright and navigation services. One such issue involves the so-called "notice and take down" provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
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It should also be noted, however, that the DMCA does not obligate search engines to inform content providers when their content has been removed or blocked. According to the statement of DMCA policy on its Web site,69 however, Google will 68See David F
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Potential rulings in some jurisdictions could substantially reduce the ability of search engines to sell keywords using the current automated methods with restriction of specifically trademarked terms only.
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