About:

• Last month, U.K.’s digital watchdog said they will take a closer look at algorithms, seeking views on the benefits and risks of how sites and apps use algorithms, as well as inputs on auditing algorithms, the current landscape and the role of regulators.
  
  
• An algorithm, essentially, is a series of instructions. It can be used to perform a calculation, find answers to a question or solve a problem. Search engines use a number of algorithms to perform different functions prior to displaying relevant results to an individual’s search request.
  
  
• Tech giant Alphabet Inc’s Google, whose flagship product is the Google search engine, is the dominant player in the search market.
  
  
• Algorithms are often built using historical data and for specific functions. Once developed, they go through frequent updates from companies for quality enhancement.
  
  
• Any changes or updates in their algorithms could also mean that traffic is steered away from certain sites and businesses, which could have a negative effect on their revenue.
  
  
• Firms can use these algorithms to change the way they rank products on websites, prioritising their own products and excluding competitors. Some of these concerns have caught the eye of regulators.