I mean, this is pretty good in theory, in practice, we can just move more people to the fediverse
this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2026
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Algorithm: a specific step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end
Software is full of algorithms.
I know there is also the recent meaning where "algorithm" stands for recommender systems and algorithmic curation, but I expect lawmakers to be a little more precise in their wording.
They can't, if they do they're calling out the social media sites for purposely targeting addictive algorithms and then this bandaid fix will be noticed for the bandaid fix it is. Most people don't know social media uses specifically designed to be addictive algorithms. What happens if everyone knows that. So they flatten out the language.
On youtube turn off the auto play and mindfully choose what you want. Stop getting force fed like a mindless bag. Also use Duck video player and skip the ads.
Misinformation,
Childlike common clay masses,
Like free heroin
Yea, I don't understand people who don't use their subscriptions.
or just use freetube or pipepipe to use the platform without an algorithm
I hope the EU follow up and do the same
Coming up: upload your ID to verify your Australian citizenship
(but props to Australia for trying to regulate it nevertheless)
Insert, "can I get some of that" meme.
Article is light on details. I'm curious how they define what is "algorithm"-generated content and what isn't.
I think the general idea is to go from a 'weighted' feed showing promoted or 'trending content' to a chronological feed showing newest to oldest of your friends posts.
Thats the way they have been framing it from what i have heard on the news.
I would probably use facebook much more if my feed was only my friends and followed pages. Their loss on insisting on this I guess.
Am I the only one who thinks big tech won't do jack shit other than nod and smile and install a user button that doesn't actually change anything at all?
They are so NOT going to turn this off. This -- the ability to manipulate users by controlling exactly what they see -- is the sole reason they are in business. It gets them ad revenue, data to resell, and massive, uncontrollable political power.
And they're just going to let a user turn that highly individualized control off and turn themselves into a less monetizable, more ad immune user one by one because some govt told them to? The same governments that have been telling them not to do this or that for decades now?
Lol, pull the other one.
Tbf they already do that. Google's had a button to turn off ad personalization that's never worked since like, 2014 or something
It DOES work, they don't show ads based on personalized data. What it's not garanteed is that are not processing or selling your data on the back anyway.
Ad personalization is hard to verify because it's all happening on the backend. What you see in a feed is much more visible, so maybe that will make it harder to work around. I haven't read much about how the legislation works and how it defines algorithms, but if it's something like, "only show me people I've subscribed to", then it would be pretty easy to verify whether they are showing that or not.
But in general, I agree. Big tech companies always find a way to work around this legislation. Enforcement is the issue, not the laws themselves.
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Should’ve done this instead of garbage age verification.
Unrelated to algorithms but I opened Roblox yesterday after not playing for a long while and I found that they’ll give you a ‘free item’ if you do an age check
Disgusting, coercive bullshit just so kids can give their biometric data to American companies. Funny how the eSafety Commission managed to completely forget about the privacy rights of children, let alone those of adults, just so they can rush through their age verification legislation like the world depended on it.
I am SO uncomfortable with the idea of handing images of my id over.
I love the idea of a company selling my id to some ex.
Exactly. I do believe that the algorithm does more damage than anything that age verification will address and it impacts all of us.
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Age verification took away the need to regulate it so it's safe for kids. Now it's not safe for anyone.
Remember when people would post event flyers to facebook and everyone subscribed to the group would see it?
Now it's like trying to withdrawal your pay from a poker machine instead of an ATM.
I'd like to shut off fhe algorithms forcing me to see right wing transphobia on facebroach
Easy: get off of it.
If your family is that important and refuses to move: call them occasionally.
Every second you spend on it is another cent given to meta
call them occasionally.
I'll text. Take it or leave it.
Yes its dumm to stay on there because of family. As your family has then to stay there because you are there, and suffer the harmful experience. You are then to blame for any shit that happens to them on there.
Get off. Close it down. Post your stuff somewhere decentralised and let them know how to contact you. If they want to see your pictures, post them there only.
Damn, first legitimately good thing I've seen come out of that country in a while as far as legislation is concerned.
Nice.
Someone please tell them they can already do that. It's called the Fediverse.
I wish people were more open to simply not using products they dont like. Its inconveniencing, sure, but if you fundamentally disagree with the platform youre on, just get off. Maybe also get off, while youre at it
Yup. I'm with you there.
When I was on TikTok, I tried to stick to the "following" feed only, but it was very hard not to check the "for you page" (algorithmic feed), because the app is so good at knowing how to dazzle the user. It also defaulted to showing the algorithm when the app is reopened.
I only know a handful of other people who used the app, but they described the same problem: they follow people, but then they just use the algorithmic feed instead anyway.
All this to say that there are ways to present a choice to the user in such a way that users will not engage with that choice.
This was my first thought as well.
The vast majority of users couldn't care less about "the algorithm", and probably think it's a good thing.
The people who need this aren't interested.
Reality: social media will be made unavailable in all Australia.
... Good.
Odious shit like this is why the civilised world can't take 'Murica seriously
Now, please tell us how we're all in danger because we don't all carry firearms
How good would that be!
How to get me to move to Australia 😂
I've been saying this for a while.
Of course, our right wing nut jobs won't vote for it because they need rage bait to get votes (and normal people don't post rage bait).
If this passes, Australia will turn sane again
Interesting how a vast majority of the right wingers I know, including my dad, don’t research anything at all, and only rely on algorithms to give them right wing rage bait.
My dad for example said to me that “all these foreign exchange students are getting $50k grants for entering the country on MY taxes” after hearing it on TikTok, then I did the most minor research and found that it’s only for one of the states (I think either QLD or WA, can’t remember which though). I rebutted his claim by stating that it’s state legislation and has no basis in taking other state taxes nor much federal tax, and he gave me a long winded explanation basically just to say that I don’t know what I’m talking about.
Apparently getting force fed slop on TikTok and instagram reels makes you a prolific researcher, while actually researching makes you a bum or something.
AI makes you a researcher these days.
Every dumbfuck who never finished school and has no training is delighted it can make them seem smart.
I've literally had arguments with customers who have told me the "facts" based on my own code logs and explain API's to me and what they do, in products I've been maintaining for years.
The biggest problem is that there is no incentive for AI to say they're wrong
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