Hiding in Plain Sight: Query Obfuscation via Random Multilingual Searches

Hiding in Plain Sight: Query Obfuscation via Random Multilingual Searches

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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.

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.

user profiling, personalization, search engines, random search, anonymization

user profiling, personalization, search engines, random search, anonymization

FIRC, A.; KLUSÁČEK, J.; MALINKA, K.

09.08.2025

Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Ghent

978-3-032-00633-2

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

253

268

16

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-032-00633-2_15