A court in the Netherlands has ruled that Meta must change how Facebook and Instagram operate, as their current algorithms violate the provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA). According to Reuters, the court noted that the company should provide users with simpler options that are not algorithm-driven.
“People in the Netherlands do not have enough freedom to make independent choices regarding the use of recommendation systems based on their profiles,” the ruling states.
The court determined that the feed should respect user choices, such as chronological order or other non-algorithmic options, instead of automatically reverting to the algorithm-based version after each app restart.
The lawsuit against Meta was filed by the Dutch digital rights organization Bits of Freedom.
“It is unacceptable that a few American tech billionaires can dictate how we view the world,” said the organization's spokesperson Maartje Knaap.
In response, Meta stated that it would appeal the decision and emphasized that matters related to the DSA should be resolved by the European Commission and other EU regulators, not by courts in individual countries.
“Such legal actions pose a threat to the single digital market and the coherent regulatory environment that supports it,” a Meta representative said.
The company could face fines of $117,450 for each day it fails to comply with the court’s ruling, up to a maximum of $5.8 million.
Since its enactment in 2022, the DSA has posed significant challenges for major tech companies. The European Commission has already imposed hundreds of millions of dollars in fines on Apple, Meta, and Google for violations of the law. Regulation has also compelled platforms to implement various changes to enhance privacy, data security, and child protection.