US Senators draft bill to regulate recommendation algorithms

US senators have drafted a bipartisan bill regulating the recommendation algorithms of social networks. The Verge reports.

The bill, drafted by Senators Amy Klobuchar and Cynthia Lummis, directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to study content-neutral ways to curb the unfettered exchange of content online.

If enacted, researchers would determine ways to slow the spread of harm ful content and disinformation, whether by asking users to read an article before it’s published or other measures. The Federal Trade Commission would then standardize the recommendations and require social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to implement them.

“Too long have tech companies said, ‘Trust us, we’ll figure it out.’ But we know that social networks have repeatedly put profit over people, and their algorithms have promoted dangerous content that hooks users and spreads disinformation,” said Klobuchar.

According to Lummis, the bill is a sensible step toward addressing the problem of the tech giants’ outsized influence on Americans.

“By giving [NSF] and [NASEM] the opportunity to study dependence on social networks, we will begin to fully understand the impact of platforms and their algorithms on society,” said the senator.

Earlier, U.S. lawmakers had proposed similar measures. Unlike them, the Klobuchar–Lummis bill does not require changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability for content created by third parties.

In October 2021, a Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, accused the company of deliberate use of disinforming and discriminatory algorithms for profit.

In November, lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill, regulating the recommendation algorithms of social networks.

In January 2022, American lawmakers proposed almost entirely to ban targeted advertising on the internet.

Subscribe to ForkLog’s Telegram updates: ForkLog AI — all the news from the world of AI!