Hiding in Plain Sight: Query Obfuscation via Random Multilingual Searches

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216305%3A26230%2F26%3A0193583" target="_blank" >RIV/00216305:26230/26:0193583 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-032-00633-2_15" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-032-00633-2_15</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-00633-2_15" target="_blank" >10.1007/978-3-032-00633-2_15</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Hiding in Plain Sight: Query Obfuscation via Random Multilingual Searches

Original language description

Modern search engines extensively personalize results by building detailed user profiles based on query history and behaviour. While personalization can enhance relevance, it introduces privacy risks and can lead to filter bubbles. This paper proposes and evaluates a lightweight, client-side query obfuscation strategy using randomly generated multilingual search queries to disrupt user profiling. Through controlled experiments on the Seznam.cz search engine, we assess the impact of interleaving real queries with obfuscating noise in various language configurations and ratios. Our findings show that while displayed search results remain largely stable, the search engine's identified user interests shift significantly under obfuscation. We further demonstrate that such random queries can prevent accurate profiling and overwrite established user profiles. This study provides practical evidence for query obfuscation as a viable privacy-preserving mechanism and introduces a tool that enables users to autonomously protect their search behaviour without modifying existing infrastructure.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

D - Article in proceedings

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10201 - Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8)

Project

—

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Article name in the collection

Coppens, B., Volckaert, B., Naessens, V., De Sutter, B. (eds) Availability, Reliability and Security

ISBN

978-3-032-00633-2

ISSN

—

e-ISSN

—

Number of pages

16

Pages from-to

253-268

Publisher name

Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Place of publication

Ghent

Event location

Ghent

Event date

Aug 11, 2025

Type of event by nationality

WRD - Celosvětová akce

UT code for WoS article

001582782000015