Author: Nicolas Kayser-Bril
Publisher: AlgorithmWatch
Publication Year: 2020
Summary: The following article attempts to explore what drives the Instagram algorithm’s recommendations on people’s timelines led to a serious response form Facebook looking to shut it down. While it was stated to be in the interest of user privacy, the project was designed in a way that guarded this already. This attempt to explore transparency was met with legal resistance, concluding: “Large platforms play an oversized, and largely unknown, role in society, from identity-building to voting choices. Only by working towards more transparency can we ensure, as a society, that there is an evidence-based debate on the role and impact of large platforms – which is a necessary step towards holding them accountable. Only if we understand how our public sphere is influenced by their algorithmic choices, can we take measures towards ensuring they do not undermine individuals’ autonomy, freedom, and the collective good.”