Administrative Regulation of Social Media Algorithms in the European Union and America and Their Implications for China

Abstract

While social media algorithms have brought positive effects, they have also brought a series of crises that have sparked public concern about algorithmic technology. In response, many countries have adopted a series of regulations on platform algorithms. The EU mainly adopts a collaborative regulatory model between administrative agencies and private institutions, emphasizing both ex-ante and ex-post regulation of algorithms, and further reinforcing the obligations and responsibilities of social media platforms, as well as adopting focused regulation on large social media platforms. The U.S. mainly focuses on external accountability, industry self-regulation, and the protection of freedom of expression and democratic politics. By analyzing the dynamics and practices of administrative regulation of social media algorithms in the EU and the U.S., it is suggested that China should: build a multiple regulation model, realize the substantial participation of other subjects, explore the hierarchical and categorical regulation of social media platforms, strengthen the construction of anti-monopoly for large social media platforms, and enhance the whole process regulation of social media algorithms, with a belief of building a perfect social media algorithm regulation system.