DSA: Civil rights activists file complaint against Meta over news feeds

New trouble for Meta in the EU: The organizations Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF), "Bits of Freedom", "European Digital Rights" (EDRi) and "Convocation Design + Research" filed a complaint against the US company on Tuesday. They accuse the operator of Facebook and Instagram of violating the protective provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

No pure news feeds

The civil rights activists criticize that Meta does not offer alternative and adjustable newsfeed options on these platforms that are not based on tracking and the creation of user profiles. Even if users change their settings, Meta resets them the next time they open the apps and online portals, according to the complaint.

The organizations filed the complaint in Ireland with the Coimisiún na Meán (CNAM) on behalf of a Facebook and Instagram user there. The Irish Media Commission also acts as the Digital Services Coordinator under the DSA. It is primarily responsible for Meta, as the company has its European headquarters in Dublin.

The obligation set out in the EU Platform Act is intended to enable users to protect themselves against lurid recommendation algorithms. Such systems largely determine "how much time we spend with which content on social media", explains Simone Ruf from the GFF. "They have a considerable influence on our lives". Meta makes it extremely difficult for users to choose an alternative feed and control their own online experience.

Algorithms are one of the group's most important sources of income, the civil rights activists emphasize. The profiling-based timeline causes users to stay on platforms for longer, which increases Meta's advertising revenue. The company therefore has a clear financial incentive to keep users on this feed.

Meta is unlikely to fully understand the complaint. The company's outgoing "Secretary of State", Nick Clegg, announced targeted changes in mid-2023 in response to the DSA. These include a feed function which, according to company circles, is to be "without profiling".

Meta points to an alternative

"We are now giving our European community the ability to view and discover content on Reels, Stories, Search and other parts of Facebook and Instagram" without AI ranking and other automated recommendations, Clegg wrote at the time. Users would only be able to see posts from people "they follow, in chronological order, from newest to oldest".

Facebook has also been offering a separate friends feed without additional content suggestions and AI spam in the USA since March. The global launch of the "Friends Tab", which is intended to suggest a return to the early days of the social network, is reportedly planned for the near future.

(mma)