Bipartisan Bill Aims to Regulate Recommendation Algorithms

New Bill Aims to Increase Algorithmic Transparency Online

A group of legislators from both major parties in the House of Representatives has proposed a new law designed to empower individuals with greater control over the algorithms influencing their online interactions.

Should the Filter Bubble Transparency Act be enacted, companies such as Meta would be obligated to provide a platform version operating on an “input-transparent” algorithm.

Key Provisions of the Proposed Legislation

This algorithm would function without utilizing user data for the purpose of generating recommendations. The bill does not seek to eliminate “opaque” recommendation algorithms entirely.

Instead, it mandates the inclusion of a toggle, enabling users to deactivate this functionality when desired. Platforms continuing to employ recommendation algorithms will be required to display a notification.

This notification must clearly inform users that the recommendations they receive are derived from inferences made using their personal data. The notification can be presented once, but it must be displayed prominently.

Bipartisan Support and Congressional Sponsors

The legislation was spearheaded by Representatives Ken Buck (R-CO), David Cicilline (D-RI), Lori Trahan (D-MA), and Burgess Owens (R-UT).

It mirrors a similar bill introduced in June by Senators John Thune (SD) and Richard Blumenthal (CT). Representative Buck stated to Axios that consumers deserve the ability to interact with online platforms without algorithmic manipulation based on personal data.

Previous Concerns and Legislative Efforts

Concerns regarding the use of recommendation algorithms by social media companies to enhance user engagement have been voiced repeatedly by lawmakers.

However, concrete legislative measures to regulate their use have been limited until now. Following the events of January 6th, over 30 Democratic lawmakers urged Meta, Twitter, and YouTube to modify their recommendation systems.

Despite the bipartisan backing for the Filter Bubble Transparency Act in both the House and Senate, its ultimate passage remains uncertain.

This report was originally published on Engadget.