What if you could turn off your algorithm? Australia is about to try

Australia is preparing a new legislative push aimed at how major technology platforms recommend content to their users. The legislation is being tabled in Parliament on Thursday and would require big tech companies to provide an option to switch off those algorithms.

What the proposed legislation would do

At the centre of the proposal is a user choice: people would be able to disable algorithms that send them recommended content. The measure targets the systems used by large technology companies to determine which material is presented to users beyond the content they have directly selected.

The legislation has not been described as a uniquely Australian experiment. The proposal follows efforts by another country to pursue a similar approach, although the source information does not identify that country or provide details of its policy.

Why the move matters

If adopted, the measure would place a direct requirement on big tech companies to offer users greater control over algorithmically recommended material. It also puts platform recommendation systems on the parliamentary agenda in Australia.

The immediate development is the bill’s introduction, rather than confirmation that it has become law. Further details about its progress, scope and implementation are not available in the source material.

What happens next

The legislation is due to be tabled in Australia’s Parliament on Thursday. Its introduction will mark the next step in the country’s attempt to give users the ability to turn off recommended-content algorithms.