Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 10, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 1, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleA Dutch appeals court has upheld a ruling requiring Meta to offer Facebook and Instagram users in the Netherlands the option of a chronological, non‑algorithmic feed, in line with the EU’s Digital Services Act, and Meta plans to challenge the decision in full proceedings.
AMSTERDAM, March 10 (Reuters) - A Dutch appeals court on Tuesday upheld an October ruling requiring Meta Platforms to let Facebook and Instagram users in the Netherlands view posts chronologically, rather than via profiling-based feeds.
Digital rights group Bits of Freedom, which brought the case, had argued in the run-up to a national election that public debate is harmed when users can't be sure which posts they are seeing and why.
The lower court had found that elements of the design of both platforms were not in line with the European Union's Digital Services Act.
Meta, which complied with the court's preliminary ruling, said it would now challenge it in "full scale" proceedings. We "are confident in our compliance with the DSA," a spokesperson said.
Bits of Freedom welcomed the decision. General Director Evelyn Austin said although the ruling only applies to Dutch users, she hoped it would eventually apply throughout Europe. "We will keep pushing for that," she said.
(Reporting by Toby SterlingEditing by Bernadette Baum)
The court upheld a ruling requiring Meta to provide Facebook and Instagram users in the Netherlands with the option to view posts in chronological order.
Digital rights group Bits of Freedom argued that profiling-based feeds harm public debate, especially during elections, as users cannot be sure what posts they see or why.
The court found Meta's design was not in line with the Digital Services Act, which aims to regulate digital platforms across the EU.
Meta complied with the preliminary ruling but plans to challenge it further in full-scale proceedings.
Currently, the ruling applies only to Dutch users, but Bits of Freedom hopes it will eventually extend throughout Europe.
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