Sean's Daily News Digest
Ongoing
2 updates·since 7 Sep 2026
Australia plans to let users opt out of social media algorithms
The story so farAustralia has introduced draft legislation that would require social media companies to allow users to easily opt in or out of personalised recommendation algorithms, marking a significant expansion of the country's effort to regulate Big Tech. Australia's Communications Minister said technology companies have been 'running real-time, unregulated product testing on Australians' for too long, framing the proposed opt-out rules as a digital duty of care. The draft legislation includes specific protections for children, such as limiting their exposure to misogynistic and eating disorder content, and follows Australia's earlier under-16 social media ban.
Still watching
- How would the child-specific protections — such as limiting exposure to misogynistic and eating disorder content — be technically implemented and monitored?
- What is the timeline for the draft legislation to be debated and potentially passed by the Australian parliament?
- How would 'personalised algorithm' be defined under the draft legislation, and would it cover all forms of content ranking?
- What penalties or enforcement mechanisms would apply to platforms that fail to offer the opt-out option?
- Which specific social media platforms would be covered by the proposed opt-out algorithm legislation?
How it developed
Australia plans to let users opt out of social media algorithms
- Australia has introduced draft legislation that would require social media companies to allow users to easily opt in or out of personalised recommendation algorithms, marking a significant expansion of the country's effort to regulate Big Tech.
- Australia's Communications Minister said technology companies have been 'running real-time, unregulated product testing on Australians' for too long, framing the proposed opt-out rules as a digital duty of care.
- The draft legislation includes specific protections for children, such as limiting their exposure to misogynistic and eating disorder content, and follows Australia's earlier under-16 social media ban.
Australia proposed opt-out law targeting Big Tech algorithms
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