US bill would allow users to opt out of algorithms on online platforms

In letter : A bipartisan group of US lawmakers proposed a bill last week to restrict personalization algorithms. If adopted, it would allow users to choose whether or not to allow the curation algorithms of an online platform to use their personal data to provide them with “specialized content”.

Axios notes that the latest version of the Bubble Filter Transparency Law would prevent technology platforms from using “opaque algorithms” to control what content users see without first notifying them and obtaining their consent. The bill makes exceptions for things like small tech companies, search groups, and age-appropriate content filters.

The bill would apply to any online platform with more than 500 employees that collects data on more than one million users or has generated on average more than $ 50 million in revenue over the past three years. years. This is the House of Representatives version of a US Senate bill introduced in June of this year, sponsored by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Mark Warner (D-VA). Representatives Ken Buck (R-CO.), David Cicillin (D-RI), Lori Trahan (D-MA) and Burgess Owens (R-UT) sponsored the House proposal. Lawmakers say the bill will help users of online platforms better understand how algorithms control what they see.

“The more transparent consumers are about how social media and other internet platforms prioritize the content of their services, the better,” Thune said in the June version of the bill.

Blumenthal called large technological algorithms “manipulative” and accused them of exploiting users. YouTube’s recommendation algorithm, for example, has often been the target of criticism.

The law would be similar to Apple’s Application Tracking Transparency Policy, which requires apps to allow iOS users to opt out of data collection used in targeted advertising. The new rules have reportedly cost social media platforms billions already.