Algorithms are advised to switch off – Kommersant FM
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Russian Internet users will probably be able to disable recommendation algorithms themselves. At the very least, the largest IT companies offer such an option on their websites. The initiative was taken by the Alliance in the field of artificial intelligence, which includes Yandex, VK and Sber, writes Vedomosti. We are talking about technologies that recommend content, products and services to the user based on his previous requests and views. The need to limit this practice has been discussed in Russia for a year now.
Since October 2023, website owners are required by law to publish rules for the use of such algorithms. It was thought that the measure would stop the spread of fakes, and users would be less likely to be misled. Opponents of the initiative argued that the lack of guidelines would “turn marketplaces into ordinary directories.”
For business, such restrictions are indeed sensitive, noted Yulia Zagitova, co-founder of the Breaking Trends communications agency:
“Recommendation algorithms play a huge role, they are the key to the user. When we sit on certain sites, these sites not only give us access to information, but study us. And it’s the recommendation feeds that work with these parameters; based on this, they highlight certain products that they show us.
The main problem here is data security. We live in a world where they are constantly stolen, thus violating user agreements. After all, recommendations are an opportunity to earn money. Any company uses them to sell more and provide more services.
If such a tool is completely banned, it means that business will not be able to do this. Therefore, such a scenario was abandoned.
It seems to me that the recommendations developed by the alliance cannot be called bad, but it is very interesting what we will actually come to.
At the same time, the restrictions already introduced are, of course, a big burden on companies, because they need to add not just information from email, but also show the algorithms themselves. Usually they are kept secret, only the people who directly develop them, such as the marketing department, know about them. Now all this is becoming public knowledge. Competing companies know much more about each other than before.”
Agreements at the business level may be more effective than legislative restrictions, believes Karina Oganjanyan, co-owner and vice president of Twiga Communication. She believes that sites and services will comply with the recommendations, but only after the largest market players:
“More and more people around the world, including in Russia, say that they do not want these tips, the constant dominance of opinion, the decision of marketplaces, and so on. That is, there must be one’s own will. This opinion is heard in all forums and events.
It is clear that such tools are beneficial and convenient for marketing, but at the same time there are certain ethical standards. Even marketers have a clear solution: the user should have the right to turn it off and somehow manage it.
In general, with the advent of the Internet and all solutions, access to personal data and so on appeared, not to mention the paralysis and fettering of the will of the consumer.
When it comes to deciding on recommendation algorithms in a particular company, it all depends on the strength of the organization. Various professional associations that develop ethical standards of behavior are quite a working tool. That is, a general rule can be developed not at the level of legislation, but at the level of market players themselves.
If such a decision is made by an organization that includes large corporations that set the tone in the industry, then everyone else will simply have to follow these rules of the game.”
Earlier, Kommersant wrote that Yandex and VK opposed the concept of a bill that would allow disabling recommendations. Sources in the IT market noted that companies feared a deterioration in their positions in such a scenario. Experts predicted that up to a third of users could use the option.
Everything is clear with us – Telegram channel “Kommersant FM”.
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