Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced a landmark regulation today that mandates Big Tech companies to provide users with the ability to choose alternative algorithms for their social media feeds. This bold move positions Missouri as the first state to enforce transparency and accountability in Big Tech operations at such a scale.
Missouri AG Orders Big Tech to Offer Social Media Algorithm Choice
🚨BREAKING: I am issuing a rule requiring Big Tech to guarantee algorithmic choice for social media users.
Americans should control the content they consume on social media, not Big Tech oligarchs.
Let the best algorithm win.
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) January 16, 2025
Under the new rule proposed by Bailey, social media platforms must disclose the algorithms driving content recommendations and offer users the freedom to select alternatives, so that they have control over the content they consume.
“Americans should control the content they consume on social media, not Big Tech oligarchs,” Bailey stated. He criticized Big Tech for manipulating user feeds to serve corporate interests and monopolizing content moderation.
Bailey is invoking his authority under consumer protection laws to implement this regulation. Companies failing to comply will face strict enforcement actions.
As per the official notice, “social media platforms can satisfy Attorney General Bailey’s algorithmic choice requirements if:
1. Users are provided with a choice screen upon account activation and at least every 6 months thereafter that gives them the opportunity to choose among competing content moderators;
2. No selection is chosen by default;
3. The choice screen does not favor the social media platform’s content moderator over those of third parties;
4. When a user chooses a content moderator other than that provided by the social media platform, the social media platform permits that content moderator interoperable access to data on the platform in order to moderate what content is viewed by the user; and
5. Except as expressly authorized below, the social media company does not moderate, censor, or suppress content on the social media platform such that a user is unable to view that content if their chosen content moderator would otherwise permit viewing that content.”
Thus, under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, the rule deems it unlawful for social media platforms to deny users the option to choose third-party content moderators over the platform’s own moderation. Moreover, as part of the rule promulgation process, Bailey will seek public comments and will announce forums to collect additional proofs about the deceptive practices of the social media companies.
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