Wang Qizuo (Xinhua News Agency)
On March 28, university graduates and young talents were working for big data companies in the "Mass Entrepreneurship Innovation Demonstration Base" in Dadukou District, Chongqing.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Tang Yi
After using an application, it can "guess" what you like, and accurately push relevant content, breeding problems such as "information cocoon" and big data "killing". This has finally begun to change recently. With the "Provisions on the Administration of Internet Information Service Algorithm Recommendation" jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China and other 4 departments recently officially implemented, many APPS have successively launched the algorithm to close the key, allowing users to close the "personalized recommendation" in the background. Experts said that it is necessary to continue to consolidate the responsibility of the platform, promote the application of algorithms upward and good, make algorithms better serve users, and promote the long-term and healthy development of the information service industry.
One-click turn off "Personalized Recommendations"
By referring to the "Raiders" on the Internet, Ms. Wang of Beijing recently finally turned off the "personalized recommendation" service option in a social app, "opening this APP again, I feel a lot of peace of mind."
The reason why Ms. Wang decided to turn off the "personalized recommendation" service stemmed from some bad experiences she had encountered before. She has made remarks about dry skin in this app, and since then she has continuously received articles on facial "preservation" tips and sales advertisements for beauty products on various platforms, which has made Ms. Wang feel overwhelmed.
In the era of mobile Internet, everyone is producing "data". Previously, these "data" were collected by the platform in various ways, and then analyzed the user behavior, habits and preferences through algorithms, and then accurately provided various services such as information, entertainment, and consumption. This kind of algorithm-based technological innovation not only provides users with accurate information services, but also breeds many problems.
The Provisions on the Administration of Algorithm Recommendation of Internet Information Services (hereinafter referred to as the Administrative Provisions) have recently been formally implemented, fully incorporating algorithm recommendation services into supervision. The Administrative Provisions propose that algorithm recommendation service providers should provide users with options that do not target their personal characteristics, or provide users with the convenient option to turn off algorithmic recommendation services.
After the promulgation of the "Administrative Provisions", a number of platforms have successively launched the algorithm to close the key, allowing users to close the "personalized recommendation" in the background. After the user closes the "personalized recommendation", the platform will distribute it according to the popularity of the content, and the push content will reflect the characteristics of the application. Many netizens said that in the past, they were always "arranged" to watch some content, and after turning off "personalized recommendations", they felt like seeing a wider world.
After the experience, the reporter found that most apps still open "personalized recommendation" by default, and it is not too easy to find the "personalized recommendation" closing key. Take an e-commerce application as an example, you need to click through to several pages, and then find the "Personalized Recommendation" off button in the more than 10 options presented. Some users believe that such a setting method is difficult to say "convenient", and its purpose is to let users "retreat from difficulties".
Does turning off personalized recommendations mean that algorithmic recommendation technology has come to an end? Cheng Xusen, a professor at the School of Information of Chinese Min University, analyzed that with the implementation of the new regulations, how to make personalized recommendations more standardized is a great challenge, but it also promotes the technological development and progress of various Internet platforms, which is conducive to accelerating the digital transformation of related industries and the healthy development of the platform economy.
Work together to drive products for good
For the same order, the regular customer pays more than the new customer, and the user questions the platform's use of the algorithm model to "kill" the big data. The Administrative Provisions put forward that where algorithms recommend service providers to sell goods or provide services to consumers, they shall protect consumers' right to fair trade, and must not use algorithms to carry out unreasonable differential treatment and other illegal acts on transaction conditions such as transaction prices based on consumers' preferences and trading habits.
Zuo Xiaodong, vice president of the China Academy of Information Security, believes that stubborn diseases such as the "killing" of big data are ultimately caused by the abuse of users' personal information. To solve such problems, we must first work the collection of users' personal information in violation of laws and regulations, and secondly, we must protect the rights and interests of users such as the right to choose and delete.
"When I brushed short videos and played games, I didn't feel that time passed quickly, but every time I put down my phone, I found that several hours had passed." Mr. Chen, who works at a company in Shanghai, sighed that every time he picked up his mobile phone to entertain, he felt like poisoning and couldn't stop. Many other netizens complained that when they repeatedly browsed a certain product, the platform would display a series of promotional information, so many people blindly placed orders.
The Administrative Provisions stipulate that algorithm recommendation service providers shall regularly review, evaluate, and verify algorithm mechanism mechanisms, models, data, and application results, and must not set up algorithm models that violate laws and regulations or violate ethics and morality, such as inducing users to indulge or consume excessively.
Qiu Zeqi, director of the China Social and Development Research Center at Peking University, told reporters that sociology distinguishes the content of people's preferences into two ideal types, one is rational, similar to people's views on things, this preference for "self" is part of human cognitive preferences, and it is easy to form an "information cocoon" effect or "echo wall" effect; the other is emotional, similar to people's feelings for things, people are emotionally susceptible to infection by others, and are prone to "emotional contagion" effects.
Qiu Zeqi believes that in the digital age, many products are dynamic products, and it is necessary to continuously optimize and iterate products according to interactive data, and meet user needs through product upgrades and algorithm upgrades. Based on the complexity of human cognitive preferences, in addition to assuming product responsibility, enterprises must also assume corresponding social responsibilities, incorporate users into product development, production and service, and continuously promote products and science and technology through the joint participation of the government, enterprises and users, and establish corresponding rules.
Enable responsible innovation
In recent years, some enterprises have used algorithms to register fake accounts, hire network "water troops", encourage "rice circle" fans to tear each other up, brush up on the amount of evaluation; manipulate and intervene in hot searches, lists or search results; push bad content to minors... In view of these problems, the Administrative Provisions propose to "establish and improve the management system such as mechanism review of algorithm mechanisms, scientific and technological ethics review, user registration, and information release review" and "provide algorithm recommendation services, which shall comply with laws and regulations, respect social morality and ethics, and abide by business ethics and professional ethics".
In a deeper sense, a series of issues arising from the innovation of algorithmic technology involve the ethics of science and technology. The "Opinions on Strengthening the Governance of Science and Technology Ethics" recently issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council proposes to strengthen governance at the source, pay attention to prevention, and run the ethical requirements of science and technology through the entire process of scientific and technological activities such as scientific research and technological development, so as to promote the coordinated development and benign interaction between scientific and technological activities and scientific and technological ethics, and achieve responsible innovation.
Jiang Qiping, director of the Informatization Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that from the perspective of technological innovation, algorithm technology should be promoted back to the normal track, such as simply recommending reading content based on people's preferences, and the error lies in the lack of understanding of people, understanding people as machines, and not taking into account that people still have free will. From the perspective of value ethics, the essence of philosophical goodness and ethics stems from free will, so in the process of technological innovation, the human side and the relationship between people should be considered into technology.
Experts believe that the innovation of algorithm technology in the digital age should be a responsible innovation, and it is necessary to further consolidate the responsibility of the platform and ensure that scientific and technological activities conform to scientific and technological ethics. Only by insisting on placing consumers' right to judge information services above the right to collect information services can we better grasp the development direction of personalized information services and promote the high-quality development of the digital economy. (Reporter Peng Xunwen)
Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition