Within Evidence Types
When search results go empty
When reliable results are scarce, the first confident-looking claim can dominate before better evidence appears.
On this page
- Why obscure terms are vulnerable
- How manipulators exploit early searches
- What to do when evidence is scarce
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Introduction
A data void is a situation where a search query, hashtag, keyword or topic has little reliable information attached to it. In those moments, weak evidence can appear far stronger than it really is—not because it has been verified, but because there is little else available for comparison. Researchers Michael Golebiewski and danah boyd coined the term to describe search environments where obscure, new or poorly documented topics can be dominated by low-quality or manipulative content. [Data & Society]datasociety.netdata voidsData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search…
For anyone evaluating online claims, data voids create a distinctive problem. Normally, weak evidence competes against stronger evidence. In a data void, that competition may not exist yet. A single blog post, screenshot, video or AI-generated explanation can become the most visible source simply because no established reporting, research or documentation has arrived. The result is an illusion of authority: the first available answer looks convincing because it stands alone.
Why obscure terms are vulnerable
Most people assume search engines surface the best information available. Data voids reveal an important limitation: search systems can only rank what exists. When reliable material is scarce, ranking algorithms may elevate whatever content has been created, regardless of quality. [Data & Society]datasociety.netdata voidsData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search…
This vulnerability is especially common in three situations:
- Brand-new events where journalists, researchers and institutions have not yet published substantial material.
- Obscure phrases or niche topics that receive little attention from reliable sources.
- Newly invented terms that have been deliberately created before any authoritative coverage exists. [Data & Society]datasociety.netdata voidsData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search…
The key mechanism is simple: evidence often feels stronger when it is uncontested. If a search returns ten pages all repeating the same claim, users may interpret that repetition as confirmation. In reality, those pages may all originate from a single weak source.
This differs from ordinary misinformation. The problem is not merely that false information exists. The problem is that the normal corrective ecosystem—competing reports, expert analysis, official records and independent verification—has not yet formed.
How manipulators exploit early searches
Researchers have documented several ways that actors exploit data voids. One approach is to create content around a term before anyone else does. When public attention suddenly shifts toward that term, searchers encounter the pre-positioned material first. [Data & Society]datasociety.netdata voidsData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search…
Strategic new terms
One of the most effective tactics is introducing a new label, slogan or phrase and then building content around it before promoting it widely. Because reliable organisations have not yet written about the term, search results can become dominated by the creators’ preferred interpretation. [Data & Society]datasociety.netdata voidsData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search…
The strength of this tactic comes from timing. Searchers believe they are independently researching a topic, yet the information environment was effectively constructed before they arrived.
Breaking-news gaps
Data voids also emerge during rapidly developing events. Immediately after a crisis, disaster or controversial incident, people search for explanations before verified information is available. During this period, speculation can outrun evidence. Early posts may receive visibility not because they are accurate but because they appeared first. [Data & Society]datasociety.netdata voidsData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search…
This helps explain why rumours often flourish in the first hours of a major event. The demand for information arrives faster than the supply of verified reporting.
Fragmented information worlds
Researchers have also identified situations where closely related ideas become separated into different search pathways. Different search terms can lead users toward dramatically different information ecosystems, even when they are investigating the same underlying topic. [Data & Society]datasociety.netdata voidsData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search…
In these cases, weak evidence gains apparent strength because users repeatedly encounter similar claims within a narrow information cluster while remaining unaware of stronger evidence elsewhere.
Why weak evidence starts to look convincing
[data voids]datasociety.netData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search… create several psychological shortcuts that can mislead readers.
Availability replaces verification. People often treat easily found information as reliable information. When only a few sources exist, visibility becomes confused with credibility.
Consistency is mistaken for independence. Multiple websites repeating the same claim may appear to provide corroboration. Yet the content may trace back to a single original source.
Search results inherit trust from the platform. Users often trust the search process itself. A claim that appears prominently can seem validated merely because a search engine displayed it.
Confidence fills uncertainty. In low-information environments, highly confident language can be persuasive. Detailed explanations, charts, images and AI-generated summaries may create an impression of expertise even when the underlying evidence is thin.
These effects are amplified on social platforms where recommendation systems, autocomplete suggestions and trending features can steer users toward the same limited pool of content. Researchers have noted that data voids are often compounded by these adjacent discovery systems. [Data & Society]datasociety.netdata voidsData & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search…
What to do when evidence is scarce
The most important response to a data void is not immediate acceptance or rejection. It is recognising that the evidence environment itself may be incomplete.
When reliable information appears scarce:
- Ask whether the topic is unusually new or obscure. A lack of sources may indicate a genuine information gap rather than hidden truth.
- Look for primary records. Official statements, documents, datasets or direct evidence matter more than commentary during low-information periods.
- Check publication timing. If nearly all sources appeared within a short window and cite one another, apparent consensus may be artificial.
- Search for alternative wording. Different terms may reveal more established reporting and reduce the risk of getting trapped in a narrow information cluster.
- Treat certainty as a warning sign. When evidence is genuinely scarce, strong confidence should prompt scrutiny rather than trust.
In practice, the strongest conclusion during a data void is often: “There is not enough evidence yet.” That can feel unsatisfying, but it is usually more accurate than accepting the first confident explanation.
Search engines are trying to address the problem
Search companies have increasingly recognised data voids as a distinct information-quality challenge. Google has experimented with warning messages for queries where information may be low quality, low relevance or rapidly changing. Research examining these warning systems found that they appeared for only a small fraction of potentially problematic searches and that many likely data voids remained undetected. [cyber.fsi.stanford.edu+2arXiv]cyber.fsi.stanford.edudata voids and warning banners google searchData Voids and Warning Banners on Google Search | FSI25 Feb 2025 — Google Search attempts to help its users navigate three distinct types…
The existence of such warnings highlights an important point: even sophisticated search systems sometimes recognise that they lack enough reliable material to provide confident answers.
For critical thinkers, that recognition is useful. When the information landscape is thin, the absence of evidence should not be mistaken for evidence of a claim. Data voids are reminders that the apparent strength of online information often depends not only on what is present, but also on what is missing.
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to When search results go empty. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The death of expertise
First published 2017. Subjects: Higher Education, Sociology of Knowledge, Theory of Knowledge, Internet, Expertise.
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Endnotes
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Source: cyber.fsi.stanford.edu
Title: data voids and warning banners google search
Link: https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/publication/data-voids-and-warning-banners-google-searchSource snippet
Data Voids and Warning Banners on Google Search | FSI25 Feb 2025 — Google Search attempts to help its users navigate three distinct types...
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Source: arxiv.org
Link: https://arxiv.org/html/2502.17542v1Source snippet
Data Voids and Warning Banners on Google Search24 Feb 2025 — Google Search attempts to help its users navigate three distinct types of da...
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Source: arxiv.org
Title: arXiv Data Voids and Warning Banners on Google Search
Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.17542 -
Source: datasociety.net
Title: data voids
Link: https://datasociety.net/library/data-voids/Source snippet
Data & SocietyData Voids29 Oct 2019 — Data Voids demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic content by exploiting search...
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Source: datasociety.net
Link: https://datasociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Data-Voids-2.0-Final.pdfSource snippet
Data VoidsData voids are one such way that search users can be led into disinformation or manipulated content. These voids occur when obs...
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Source: rcmediafreedom.eu
Title: Media Freedom Resource Centre OBCTData Voids
Link: https://www.rcmediafreedom.eu/Resources/Reports-and-papers/Data-Voids.-Where-Missing-Data-Can-Easily-Be-ExploitedSource snippet
Data Voids. Where Missing Data Can Easily Be ExploitedData voids can come both naturally and through manipulation. Unusual search terms c...
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Source: gcdi.commons.gc.cuny.edu
Title: data voids data society
Link: https://gcdi.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2019/11/12/data-voids-data-society/Source snippet
Voids | Data & Society12 Nov 2019 — In this Data & Society report, Michael Golebiewski and danah boyd identify the types of data voids in...
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Source: datasociety.net
Link: https://datasociety.net/research/media-manipulation/?type=reportSource snippet
Media Manipulation & Disinformation"Data Voids" demonstrates how manipulators expose people to problematic... New Data & Society report...
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Source: researchgate.net
Title: 356909935 Data Voids Where Missing Data Can Easily Be Exploited
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356909935_Data_Voids_Where_Missing_Data_Can_Easily_Be_ExploitedSource snippet
Data Voids: Where Missing Data Can Easily Be Exploited1 Apr 2026 — Data voids are a security vulnerability that must be systematically, i...
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Source: apo.org.au
Link: https://apo.org.au/node/265631Source snippet
Data voids: where missing data can easily be exploitedby M Golebiewski · 2019 · Cited by 155 — This report demonstrate how data voids are...
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Source: blog.siemens.com
Title: data voids the hidden gaps that can mislead ai
Link: https://blog.siemens.com/2025/10/data-voids-the-hidden-gaps-that-can-mislead-ai/Source snippet
Voids: The Hidden Gaps That Can Mislead AI14 Oct 2025 — As researchers note, a data void happens when a search query “turns up little to...
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Source: diggitmagazine.com
Title: data voids what are they and do they threaten democracy
Link: https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/data-voids-what-are-they-and-do-they-threaten-democracySource snippet
Data voids: What are they and do they threaten democracy?15 Nov 2020 — Data voids are intricate systems in which media manipulators find...
Additional References
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Source: mediamanipulation.org
Link: https://mediamanipulation.org/definitions/data-void/Source snippet
Data voidData voids are social or technical security risks depending on the subject matter of the query. Data void is a Casebook value un...
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Source: ijcai.org
Link: https://www.ijcai.org/proceedings/2025/1218.pdfSource snippet
Technical report, Data & Society Research. Institute, 2019. [Google Blog, 2012] Google Blog...Read more...
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Source: scribd.com
Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/906176349/Data-Voids-Where-Missing-Data-Can-Easily-Be-ExploitedSource snippet
Exploiting Data Voids in Search Engines | PDF | InformationThe document discusses 'data voids,' which are gaps in available information f...
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Source: platformer.news
Title: google data voids warning banners 2024 election
Link: https://www.platformer.news/google-data-voids-warning-banners-2024-election/Source snippet
Google gives up on data voids24 Feb 2025 — Data voids are often exploited by actors seeking to spread misinformation on topics where litt...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJYIzQFx_7kSource snippet
DEF CON 33 - Mind the Data Voids: Hijacking Copilot Trust - Tobias Diehl...
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Source: journals.publishing.umich.edu
Link: https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/nasig/article/id/7739/Source snippet
Voids and Echo Chambers: The Transformative...by FB Tripodi · 2025 — Their report shows that when little to nothing exists about a subje...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: DEF CON 33
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgjyBKfqJEsSource snippet
Trusted Elections Network: What are data voids and how can journalists combat them?...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9c_rEPnJ9cSource snippet
Diggit Wiki: the concept of 'Data voids' explained...
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Source: reposit.haw-hamburg.de
Link: https://reposit.haw-hamburg.de/handle/20.500.12738/15237Source snippet
haw-hamburg.deGoogle, data voids, and the dynamics of the politics...by OC Norocel · 2023 · Cited by 39 — This study deploys a critical...
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Source: youtube.com
Title: How You Tube’s Algorithms Can Fool You
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFKYSSZtpoSource snippet
The Fragmentation of Truth: Youtube & Data Voids (pt 1 & 2) | Knight Media Forum 2019...
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