Western South Dakota News

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, has commended the Senate's passage of his bipartisan Filter Bubble Transparency Act. This legislation was included in a broader bill aimed at enhancing children's safety on the internet, led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). The act aims to increase transparency for users of large-scale internet platforms by revealing potential manipulations through secret algorithms and providing an option to consume unmanipulated information.

"Consumers deserve more transparency when it comes to how social media and other internet platforms use algorithms to amplify or suppress content on their services," Thune stated. "This bill helps consumers better understand how algorithms are used to select content in their ‘feed’ and gives users more control over what information they are digesting. I applaud the Senate’s strong bipartisan passage of my bill, and I hope the House of Representatives considers it in short order."

The Filter Bubble Transparency Act mandates that large Big Tech platforms, including Meta, disclose algorithm use and offer an algorithm-free option for users. It would be illegal for any covered internet platform using a secret algorithm not to comply with these requirements. The Federal Trade Commission is tasked with enforcing this legislation and can seek civil penalties for knowing violations.