Article Summary

According to an Axios report, a group of bipartisan members of the US House of Representatives introduced the Filter Bubble Transparency Act. This bill would require internet platforms to allow consumers the option to use services that do not rely on algorithms for content selection. This bill comes to the House following the recent discovery about Facebook’s internal research findings, which has caused lawmakers to seek to grant people more autonomy in how algorithms shape their online experiences. Ken Buck (R-CO), one of the original sponsors of the bill, commented on the legislation saying, “Consumers should have the option to engage with internet platforms without being manipulated by secret algorithms driven by user-specific data.” Granting the public options on how their data is used has the potential to bolster more public trust in the business practices of major online platforms. This bill comes as the US continues to lag behind other governing bodies’ actions to regulate artificial intelligence, including the EU.