Big tech’s ‘blackbox’ [recommendation] algorithms face regulatory oversight under EU plans [Natasha Lomas @ TechCrunch]

The EU plans to require large tech firms to disclose how their algorithms work, including recommendations algorithms, reports Natasha Lomas from TechCrunch.

In a speech today Commission EVP Margrethe Vestager suggested algorithmic accountability will be a key plank of the forthcoming legislative digital package — with draft rules incoming that will require platforms to explain how their recommendation systems work as well as offering users more control over them.

“The rules we’re preparing would give all digital services a duty to cooperate with regulators. And the biggest platforms would have to provide more information on the way their algorithms work, when regulators ask for it,” she said, adding that platforms will also “have to give regulators and researchers access to the data they hold — including ad archives”.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/30/big-techs-blackbox-algorithms-face-regulatory-oversight-under-eu-plan/