Australia is planning to require social media companies to make it easy for users to opt in or out of personalised algorithms, a move intended to give people greater control over how content is selected for them.
The BBC spoke to people in Sydney about the proposed changes and their views on choosing whether to use algorithm-driven personalisation. The plans would require social media platforms to offer users a clear option to decide if they want personalised algorithms applied to their feeds.
Personalised algorithms are used by social media services to tailor the content shown to individual users. Under Australia’s plans, companies would have to allow users to opt in or opt out without difficulty.
The proposal places user choice at the centre of Australia’s approach to personalised social media content. It would give people the ability to decide whether they want platforms to use personalisation when selecting what they see.
The available information does not specify which social media companies would be covered, when the plans would take effect, or how the opt-in and opt-out process would work. At this stage, the proposal is described as a plan to require social media companies to provide users with an easy choice over personalised algorithms.
