Australia wants social media users to be able to switch off the algorithm

The story

Australia has proposed giving social media users a way to switch off the recommendation systems that decide much of what shows up in their feeds. Under the plan, platforms would have to let people choose whether their main feed includes content picked for them by an algorithm.

People who opt out would instead see posts only from the friends and creators they have chosen to follow. Platforms would also have to tell users that the choice exists.

Supporters say recommended feeds can keep pulling people back toward harmful material, even when they try to move on. The goal is to give users more say over what they see.

The plan is the latest step in the government's push on online safety, which already includes a world first ban on social media accounts for children. Europe already requires large platforms to offer a feed that is not based on profiling, though regulators there have complained that companies did not make the option easy to use.

A separate bill from the Greens, put forward in the Senate earlier this year, would also force platforms to offer an opt out at any time. Neither measure has become law yet.