Our lawsuit against Meta is keeping us very busy. Evelyn wrote the following piece, which previously appeared as a foreword in our monthly English newsletter.

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In a TikTok video, user Airspace_band (note: link to Big Tech!) pitches the idea for a new start-up: "Instagram, but it only shows you posts from people you follow and they're in chronological order".

That is exactly what our lawsuit against Meta is about: the option for users to set the chronological feed as their preference. The idea behind it is simple: users themselves know best what information they want to receive.

In early October, the judge in that case issued a ruling. He ordered Meta to modify its platforms within two weeks to make this possible. Meta asked for more time last week and was granted it in part, until December 31.

So while Facebook and Instagram users will have to wait a little longer for the changes, Meta continues to insist that those users don't want more control over their information diet at all. The internet shows something different.

The comments under Airspace_band's video are illustrative of the many conversations we've had with people in response to our lawsuit against Meta.

Tazgrl96 responds:

“I just counted my IG feed... 10 ads/sponsored posts versus 4 posts from people I follow. Yuck.” cursolacore writes: “Yeah, remember when we used social media to keep up with our friends.” Ryan Camp, who seems to be one of the few in the comments to have figured out Meta's dark patterns: “They have this. If you click on Instagram in the top left corner, you can select ‘follow’ and then you'll see exactly those posts.” To which Erika responds: “You've changed my life, tf,” and crispydonutz tops that with a concise but apt “omg i love you.” Elena, who responds later, is less enthusiastic: “but it should be a default...” And then there's my favorite, from Becks: “REMEMBER WHEN WE COULD CATCH UP AND THEN GET OFFLINE.”

Well, exactly that. Social media: the place where you catch up and then go on to do other things. We're not there yet, but we're one step closer. And that wouldn't have been possible without you, the people who support this cause and Bits of Freedom. On January 26, we will be back in court for the hearing of Meta's appeal against the ruling. Stay tuned.