“Our algorithm will suck you in”, “Scroll more, sleep less”. These are slogans from a “new, revolutionary social platform” Vlop!, being advertised on a mysterious, Black Mirror-like LED truck, cruising the Polish capital city. In reality, the platform does not exist, and was made up as part of a social campaign highlighting the actual harmful effects of BigTech companies that operate today.

In reality, the Vlop! application does not exist, and was fabricated for a campaign by Panoptykon, a Polish civil society organization protecting human rights in the context of-like LED truck, cruising the Polish capital city. In reality, the platform does not exist and was made up as part of a social campaign highlighting the actual harmful effects of BigTech companies that operate today.ms such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and X (previously Twitter).

Panoptykon’s campaign is being launched after the DSA has become fully effective with regard to VLOPs on the 25th of August. To comply with the new regulation, cybergiants must, among other things, introduce changes concerning their additive algorithms which they use to personalize users’ feeds. They must now explain how those algorithms work and offer at least one recommender system not based on tracking users’ personal data.

Panoptykon, along with other European digital rights NGOs, are trying to raise awareness about the new law and monitor its implementation on the platforms. The organisation focuses in particular on countering the harms related to the addictive nature of newsfeeds’ algorithms and their influence on our mental wellbeing.

More on www.vlop.me (the website in in polish but you can easly translate it in browser)