From the Guardian · · 1m
The activist fighting social media algorithms
Chantel Contos has shaped an Australian bill to let users scroll without algorithmic curation, drawing opposition from tech giants and the Trump administration.
In brief
Chantel Contos has shaped an Australian bill to let users scroll without algorithmic curation, drawing opposition from tech giants and the Trump administration. Chantel Contos, who previously changed Australia's school curriculum on consent, has campaigned against social media algorithms and helped shape a bill making…
From consent to algorithms
Chantel Contos, in her mid-twenties, founded Teach Us Consent at university. The advocacy group successfully campaigned to change Australia's national curriculum to mandate teaching sexual consent in schools.
Targeting social media feeds
Contos has now focused on social media algorithms. She argues that how feeds are curated and distorted contributes to a rise in teenage sexual abuse in Australia and beyond.
A bill and powerful opposition
Her campaign has shaped a bill in parliament that would make it much easier for social media users to scroll algorithm-free. It has attracted opposition from within Australia and from the Trump administration.
The headline
Chantel Contos, who previously changed Australia's school curriculum on consent, has campaigned against social media algorithms and helped shape a bill making algorithm-free scrolling easier.
