Instagram introduces more transparency measures for European users

London: Meta-owned Instagram on Tuesday introduced additional transparency measures and user options for European users, as the Digital Services Act (DSA) comes into effect later this month.

The users will now be able to access features like Reels, Stories, and Search on Facebook and Instagram without seeing content that’s been ranked by Meta’s recommendation algorithms, according to Nick Clegg, President, Global Affairs at Meta.

“We’re now giving our European community the option to view and discover content on Reels, Stories, Search and other parts of Facebook and Instagram that is not ranked by Meta using these systems,” said Clegg. 

For example, on Facebook and Instagram, users will have the option to view Stories and Reels only from people they follow, ranked in chronological order, newest to oldest. 

“They will also be able to view Search results based only on the words they enter, rather than personalised specifically to them based on their previous activity and personal interests,” Meta said in a blog post.

Later this month, the European Union’s DSA, one of the most comprehensive pieces of internet regulation, will begin to fully apply to Facebook, Instagram and a number of other tech platforms and services. 

It is a big deal not just for European tech companies but for all tech companies that operate in the EU, and it will have a significant impact on the experiences Europeans have when they open their phones or fire up their laptops. 

“We’ve been working hard since the DSA came into force last November to respond to these new rules and adapt the existing safety and integrity systems and processes we have in place in many of the areas regulated by the DSA,” said Clegg. 

The company is also rolling out two new tools for researchers – the Meta Content Library and API. 

The library includes publicly available content from Pages, Posts, Groups and Events on Facebook, as well as publicly available content from creator and business accounts on Instagram.

“In this new regulatory environment, it is critical that the DSA now maintains its primacy over existing and new national laws, to protect the clarity it has created for services, maintain consistency in the way tech companies are held to account, and preserve the harmonious way people experience our platforms across the region,” Meta emphasised.