This Country Aims to Change Social Media Algorithms, Prompting US Protest

Australia is proposing changes to social media algorithms. However, the proposal has been criticised by the United States government, which claims it is a way to facilitate censorship.

Under the proposal, platforms would be required to notify users and offer content feeds recommended by algorithms by default. Social media companies would also have to provide an option to reject these recommendations, according as Reuters reported on Wednesday (23/09/2026).

This means that social media users in Australia would have full control over their account feeds and could choose the specific content they wish to see.

“We are concerned about the potential for mandates that would lead regulators to impose rigid and uniform platform design requirements, such as forced chronological feeds or voluntary recommendation systems,” stated embassy officials.

Furthermore, the US believes the impact could extend to countries outside of Australia and even become a global standard.

Consequently, the US has requested that Australia provide a clear definition of the harms and risks involved. The Donald Trump administration also warned that such definitions could lead to excessive censorship as platforms attempt to avoid sanctions under the new regulations.

Additionally, the US asserted that this action serves to facilitate censorship, noting that the ability to choose what is liked includes the ability to opt out entirely.

“The US government may view such actions as a form of facilitating censorship,” the embassy statement added.