Curated on
August 23, 2023
Meta has announced that non-personalized content feeds are on the way for Facebook and Instagram in the European Union. This move comes in alignment with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). This act necessitates large platforms to offer users the choice to switch off AI-driven personalization which chooses and displays content based on user tracking and profiling. This means that users have the option of a non-algorithmic feed where content sorting doesn't depend on tracking but can be ordered chronologically or based on local popularity.
Nick Clegg, Meta's global affairs president, discussed these changes in a blog post. However, it was not mentioned when exactly the AI off-switch would be launched, but it is expected soon as the deadline for compliance with the DSA is due on Friday. The regulations and changes influenced by the DSA only apply to the EU, thus users in the U.S and post-Brexit U.K are excluded from these modifications. The company also hopes to stimulate EU users to customise their AI recommendations instead of switching them off by providing clearer insights into how their AI systems work.
In addition to these changes, the DSA also requires the provision of clear information about AI recommender systems. The adtech giant is now providing additional transparency measures about the performance of these systems. In accordance, Meta is releasing 22 system cards offering unprecedented insights into Facebook and Instagram's inner workings. The Digital Services Act is also enforcing ad transparency, leading to related changes on the platform such as an enhanced level of ad transparency and new tools for the research community.