Activist groups in Berlin have filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk's social media platform X, claiming it violated European law by withholding crucial information needed to monitor online disinformation before Germany's national election on Feb. 23.
The Society for Civil Rights (GFF) and Democracy Reporting International allege that X has not provided access to essential data such as post reach and engagement metrics as required under the European Union's Digital Services Act. According to DRI's Michael Meyer-Resende, Other platforms have granted us access to systematically track public debates on their platforms, but X has refused to do so.
Authorities across Europe are closely monitoring for signs of systematic online disinformation aimed at influencing elections, particularly following the annulled presidential election in Romania last year. In the case of X, concerns are heightened due to Elon Musk's recent endorsement of the German far right.
GFF's Simone Ruf emphasized the urgent need to protect against platforms being "weaponized against democratic elections," as X's actions have limited researchers' ability to monitor information dissemination on the platform.
Despite its controversial associations, X remains a preferred platform for many within the German government and political sphere. Musk's strategic changes to X have made tracking information dissemination a paid service, causing further unease among transparency advocates.
Elon Musk, currently the world's wealthiest individual and involved in efforts to streamline the U.S. federal government, recently hosted a far-right German political leader on X, endorsing her with the statement, "Only the AfD can save Germany!"