Dutch court orders Meta to let users disable algorithmic timelines
A Dutch court on Thursday ordered Meta Platforms to give Facebook and Instagram users an easier way to choose a timeline that shows posts in chronological order rather than being shaped by algorithms that track their activity and interests. The District Court of Amsterdam issued the preliminary injunction in summary proceedings that it found that elements of both platforms violated the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
Meta Ireland has two weeks to provide users with a “direct and simple” option to select a non-profiled timeline, the order in which posts and pieces of media submitted by other users is displayed. The company's platforms must ensure that this choice remains in effect even if an app or website is closed, or the user navigates to other sections.
Currently, user-chosen settings automatically revert from chronological order to an algorithm-based profiled recommendation system whenever the platform is reopened, a practice the ruling describe as a prohibited “dark pattern.” The court said this undermines freedom of information.
“People in the Netherlands are not sufficiently able to make free and autonomous choices about the use of profiled recommendation systems,” the court said. It noted that these protections are especially important ahead of the parliamentary election on Oct. 29.
The Dutch digital rights group Bits of Freedom, which brought the case, welcomed the ruling. “It is unacceptable that a few American tech billionaires can determine how we view the world,” spokesperson Maartje Knaap said.
Meta said it plans to appeal the ruling. "We fundamentally disagree with this decision," the company said in a statement. The company said it already complies with the Digital Services Act, and that it informs its users in the Netherlands about how to turn off the profiled timeline setting.
