Ola Reviews

Tag: Privacy

  • Facebook’s New “Your Algorithm” Tool: How to Take Control of Your Feed

    Facebook’s New “Your Algorithm” Tool: How to Take Control of Your Feed

    For years, Facebook users have complained that their feed feels random. Now Meta is offering a direct fix. A new tool called Your algorithm lets you tell Facebook, in plain words, what you want to see more or less of. If you have ever wanted to control your Facebook feed instead of fighting it, this is the biggest change in a long time. Here is what it does and how to use it well.

    What “Your Algorithm” Actually Does

    Announced on 13 October 2026 in a Meta newsroom post, the feature gives you a dedicated space to add and manage the topics you want in your Feed and Reels. You can type requests in your own words, such as more home cooking videos or less celebrity gossip. Meta says your recommendations respond in real time, even within the same session.

    Behind the scenes, Meta is now using large language models in its ranking systems. That is the technology that lets Facebook understand a written request rather than relying only on what you click and watch.

    How to Use It, Step by Step

    The feature is rolling out gradually, so menus may look slightly different on your account. The basic steps are:

    • Tap the three-dot menu on any post in Feed or Reels.
    • Choose Your algorithm to view and edit the topics shaping your recommendations.
    • Add topics you want more of, and remove or reduce ones you are tired of.
    • On individual posts, tap Interested or Not interested.
    • Answer any follow-up questions. Facebook may ask why you liked or disliked something, and a sentence of detail helps.

    Be specific. A request like “local footy highlights and Aussie travel tips” gives the system far more to work with than “sport”.

    Is It Available in Australia?

    Meta says the feature is rolling out but has not named countries, languages or a completion date. Its track record offers a clue. Instagram introduced its own Your Algorithm for Reels in the US in December 2025, then expanded it across Feed, Reels and Explore globally in English in June 2026, as TechCrunch noted. Meta’s similar tool on Threads, Dear Algo, is already available in Australia. If you do not see it yet, update the Facebook app and check again over the coming weeks.

    The Privacy Trade-Off

    Telling an algorithm exactly what you want is useful, but it also hands Meta clearer information about your interests. That information can shape ads as well as posts. A few habits help:

    • Avoid typing sensitive details, such as health conditions or money problems, into topic requests.
    • Review your topics now and then, and delete ones you no longer want linked to your account.
    • Check your ad preferences in Facebook’s settings alongside your feed topics.

    Our guide to [Link: social media privacy settings in Australia] walks through the settings worth changing.

    What It Means for Creators and Businesses

    For pages and creators, this adds a new signal they cannot see. If many users ask for less of a certain style of post, reach may drop without an obvious reason. The safest response is to post genuinely useful content that people would ask for by name. Scheduling tools still matter, as our comparison of Buffer vs Publer explains, but relevance now matters even more.

    A Feed That Finally Listens

    Your algorithm turns Facebook’s ranking system from something that watches you into something you can talk to. Used carefully, it can make scrolling more useful and less frustrating. The best results will come from clear, specific requests and a regular check on what you have shared.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do my topic changes last forever?

    Meta has not said whether added topics are permanent or fade over time. Treat them as something to revisit every few months.

    Does this remove ads?

    No. Meta describes Your algorithm as a way to shape recommended posts and Reels. Ads are managed through Facebook’s separate ad preferences, so check those too.

    Will posts from friends disappear?

    Meta has not said the tool hides posts from friends. It is designed to shape recommendations, and you can still manage friends and pages you follow through Facebook’s existing feed preferences.

    Can I undo a change?

    Yes. You can remove topics from Your algorithm at any time, and your recommendations will adjust.

  • Could AI Really Replace Real Estate Agents? An Australian Reality Check

    Could AI Really Replace Real Estate Agents? An Australian Reality Check

    A single question on X recently set off a fierce debate. A user asked why real estate agents are still needed when AI and property websites seem to do so much of the work. The post has drawn more than a million views and over 1,500 replies since it went up on 12 October. It is a fair question in Australia too, where the agent’s commission is often the biggest cost of selling a home. So could AI replace real estate agents? We looked at what the technology already does well, and where Australian law and everyday reality still draw a firm line.

    What AI Already Does Well in Property

    AI in Australian real estate is no longer an experiment. Many agencies now use it for jobs that take time but need little judgement, such as:

    • Writing first drafts of listing descriptions and social media posts
    • Replying to portal enquiries within seconds, at any hour
    • Booking inspections and following up after open homes
    • Turning campaign data into reports for sellers
    • Producing quick price estimates from recent sales

    For buyers and sellers, this mostly shows up as faster replies and more polished marketing. We cover tools like these in our guide to best AI tools for small business, and we compared voice assistants in Best AI Call Agents for Business.

    Why the Law Still Needs a Human

    Selling property in Australia is a regulated activity. Each state and territory licenses the people who can act for a seller, and those licences carry duties that software cannot hold. A licensed agent must act in the client’s interest, keep proper records and answer to a regulator when things go wrong.

    Price advertising shows why this matters. In New South Wales, an agent who advertises a price below their reasonable estimate of the likely selling price is underquoting, which is an offence under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002. NSW Fair Trading’s underquoting guidance explains the record-keeping rules agents must follow. The NSW Government has also proposed lifting the penalty from $22,000 to $110,000 or three times the agent’s commission, whichever is greater. An algorithm can suggest a price, but a person has to stand behind it.

    Privacy rules cover AI too

    Agents handle sensitive details, from buyer finances to tenant histories. The national privacy regulator recommends that organisations avoid entering personal information, especially sensitive information, into publicly available AI tools, according to the OAIC’s guidance on commercially available AI products. It also says privacy obligations apply to both the information fed into an AI system and the output it produces. Our explainer on AI privacy rules in Australia covers what this means for consumers.

    The Parts of a Sale That Resist Automation

    Beyond legal duties, much of the value in a property sale is human by nature.

    Negotiation is the clearest case. A skilled agent hears hesitation in a buyer’s voice, knows when to push and when to wait, and calms a nervous seller late on auction day. Auctions add pressure, with state rules shaping how bids are handled. Then there is local knowledge, like which street floods in heavy rain or why one side of a suburb sells faster. Data captures some of this, but not all of it.

    Trust matters as well. Most Australians sell a home only a few times in their lives, and it is often their largest asset. Many sellers want someone accountable on the other end of the phone, not a chatbot.

    What This Means for Buyers and Sellers Now

    The realistic future is not agents versus AI. It is agents using AI, and that shift raises useful questions.

    Sellers can ask an agency how it uses AI and whether that saves money. If software now writes the listing and answers enquiries, there may be room to negotiate commission or marketing costs. Buyers should treat automated price estimates as a starting point and compare them with recent nearby sales. Everyone should ask how an agency stores and protects personal information.

    Smarter Tools, Same Accountability

    AI is changing the daily work of Australian property agents faster than many people realise. It drafts, replies, schedules and crunches numbers around the clock. Yet the parts of a sale that carry legal weight and real emotional stakes still rest with licensed people who can be held to account. The smart move for buyers and sellers is to expect agents to use AI well, and to keep asking what that means for service and price.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I sell my home in Australia without an agent?

    Yes. Private sales are legal, and some online services list homes on major portals for a flat fee. You will still need a conveyancer or solicitor for the contract and settlement, and you take on marketing, inspections and negotiation yourself.

    Are AI price estimates accurate?

    They can be a helpful guide in suburbs with many recent sales. They struggle with unusual homes, recent renovations and fast-moving markets, where an inspection by an agent or valuer adds detail that data misses.

    Do agents have to tell me when they use AI?

    There is no single blanket rule. However, the OAIC’s guidance says businesses should clearly label public-facing AI tools, such as chatbots, so customers know what they are dealing with. Asking an agency directly is always reasonable.

    Will AI make commissions cheaper?

    It may put pressure on fees over time, since routine tasks take less effort. For now, commission is still negotiated agency by agency, so comparing quotes pays off.