EU Debates Personalization of Big Tech's Recommender Systems

The European Union is debating the divisive issue of Big Tech's 'personalization' engines, particularly focusing on the need to switch off these systems by default. A letter signed by 17 MEPs and a report by the Irish media commission are calling for personalized feeds to be turned off to address concerns about profiling-based content feeds potentially harming individuals and social cohesion. The European Commission is considering this proposal, with obligations on Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) to assess and mitigate risks arising from recommender systems.