Australia targets algorithmic social feeds as it looks to hit Big Tech harder
- ID
- 22318
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 08 Sep 2026, 9:32 PM
- Fetched
- 08 Sep 2026, 10:15 PM
- Provider
- CNBC Technology
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/08/australia-social-media-algorithm-opt-out.html
- Source URL
- https://www.cnbc.com/id/19854910/device/rss/rss.html
Summary
- Score
- 4.5
- Created
- 08 Sep 2026, 10:18 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- saas_foundersai_ml_learners
What happened
Australia's government is proposing the 'My Feed, My Way' legislation requiring social media platforms to let users over 16 opt out of algorithmic feeds and see only content from accounts they follow. Non-compliant platforms face penalties up to A$109.2 million (US$79 million). The draft legislation is now in targeted consultation, following Meta's $18 billion settlement in a social media harms trial.
Why it matters
If you build or invest in platforms with algorithmic content feeds, this signals a regulatory direction that could reach Southeast Asian markets — especially as Australia and the EU set precedents that Malaysian and regional regulators often reference. Founders running social or content-discovery products should consider whether their architecture can support a chronological 'followed-only' feed mode without major rework.
Discussion angle
Would a similar opt-out mandate in Malaysia meaningfully change how local content platforms like TikTok Shop or Xiaohongshu-style apps operate, or would it be trivially circumvented by users simply re-enabling algorithmic feeds?