Launched in late July 2021, the Australian Search Experience1 (ASE) is a project in the Data Program of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, contributing to its News & Media Focus Area. The project takes a citizen science approach to investigating the recommendations made by leading search engines for a wide range of search topics; it relies on data donations from the general public that are made through a browser plugin available for the desktop versions of leading Web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

This background paper outlines the motivations for this study, presents the broader context of the research, introduces prior work by our research partner AlgorithmWatch, and describes the practical implementation of the Australian Search Experience project. Outcomes from this research will be presented in scholarly publications and public updates throughout the lifetime of the project.