We initiated summary proceedings against Meta. We demand that Meta gives its users, on apps such as Instagram and Facebook, the option to select a feed that is not based on profiling. Read more about why this matters.

The information you receive shapes your worldview

The information you are presented with determines how you see the world. If you often receive information about shootings in your neighborhood, but don't, for instance, receive any information about the statistics showing a decline in violence, many people will walk the streets in fear. The messages you receive make a big difference.

For many people, social media is the most important source of news. Therefore, what these platforms show us has a big influence on our worldview. This impact is not just theoretical. We all know the stories of teenage girls who started to feel worse about themselves after using social media. Maybe you remember the role that platforms played in the violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar. And it is not without reason that research is being conducted into the role of TikTok in the sudden rise of a far-right politician in Romania.

diversity of perspectives is neccesary

A healthy public debate requires different opinions, viewpoints, and perspectives. If the public debate is informed by only one source, we miss out on that variety. Think of newspapers: when there is a bombing, the news appears in all newspapers, but each newspaper highlights a different aspect; the human story, the geopolitical causes, or the economic consequences. No perspective is inherently right or wrong; public debate needs them all. As a reader, you should be able to choose which perspective(s) you want to read about.

Also important: the perspective of each of these newspapers is transparent. If you subscribe to the Financial Times, you know what angle the news will be presented from. And if you choose Het Parool, you also know where the focus lies. With social media platforms, this is unclear. And there are other differences that are important for the proper functioning of public debate. Just to name some examples, the editors of a newspaper can be engaged with and complaints can be submitted to an ombudsperson.

Freedom of choice during elections

During election periods, this freedom of choice is particularly important. The previous national elections in the Netherlands were won by a party that had spent almost nothing on social media ad campaigns. Other parties deposited millions into the bank accounts of the big tech companies. This suggests that expensive advertisements have a much smaller effect than marketers sometimes lead us to believe. But it also shows that parties that share radical or controversial messages that evoke strong emotions do not need to buy their reach. For more nuanced messages, it is more difficult to reach a large audience, paid or unpaid. In other words: Big Tech's recommendation algorithms matter.

Now, unexpectedly, elections are fast approaching in the Netherlands. No one has been able to properly prepare. You as a voter haven't, political parties haven't, and regulators who oversee fair elections haven't. It is important that you can take control of your information diet as soon as possible. And because there is no time to lose, Bits of Freedom has gone to court. Not because we like it, but because it seems like the only way out.

It should be your choice

It is essential that you, as a user, can decide for yourself which information you are exposed to. Especially because platforms are legally required to give you that option. Bits of Freedom does not claim to know what's right for you. We are not saying that one timeline is better than another. But we do believe that this choice should not be made by Meta. The choice should be yours.

Update: On the evening of September 18, 2025, Meta started informing Facebook users about the existence of its non-profiling feeds. This is the bare minimum Meta can do. At least users will now be aware of the existence of the profiling-free timeline. But it's not enough. Therefore, the hearing this Monday will go ahead as planned.