Australia proposes switch to turn off algorithmic recommendations on social media — BBC News
The Australian government has introduced a package of legislative changes to parliament to regulate major technology platforms. The central provision of the bill is expected to be an obligation for social networks to give users the option to turn off recommendation algorithms and view only posts from accounts they follow, BBC News reports.
User choice
The initiative is part of the Digital Duty of Care bill, which will apply not only to social networks but also to gaming sites, chatbots and other online services. The document will require them, insofar as reasonably possible, to ensure a safe online environment.
Under the government's plan, children are to be protected from harmful content and service design elements, including pornography and materials that encourage eating disorders or harmful attitudes toward women. Adults will be protected from seriously harmful material and behaviour — a narrower category of illegal content. Companies could face fines of up to 100 million Australian dollars for violating the requirements.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the aim of the proposal is not government control, but giving users more control over their own feeds. At the same time, the government is not proposing to turn off recommendation algorithms by default: users will be able to choose the mode they need themselves.
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Requirements for platforms
The final rules have not yet been approved, but the Australian government insists that a subscriptions-only feed must not be less convenient or have limited functionality compared with an algorithmic one. The settings must be visible, and the selected mode must not change without the user's explicit consent, including after leaving the app.
Meta, Snap, TikTok, X and Google, which owns YouTube, declined to comment on the legislative initiative to the BBC. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has said that non-algorithmic feeds may mean users see fewer posts from friends, and also denied that the app causes clinical addiction.
Critics of the bill, including Australia's right-wing parties and the administration of US President Donald Trump, believe that the new requirements could encourage excessive moderation and censorship. Supporters of the reform counter that users will still be able to follow any accounts and publish their own content.
According to a survey conducted at the beginning of the month, about two-thirds of Generation Z respondents would keep algorithmic recommendations, while almost half of all Australians overall would be willing to turn them off.
