X (formerly Twitter) must provide scientists from data in their platform so that research on the subject of voting influence can operate. That should be particularly interesting in Germany. Because X-boss Musk has already severely interfered in the German election campaign privately.
X has to move out data
In an urgent procedure they haveSociety for Freedom Rights(GFF) andDemocracy Reporting International(Dri) achieved a success against the short messages of the short messages X (formerly Twitter). As theGFF on your sidereports, X is forced to provide researchers until shortly after the Bundestag election on February 23.
The DRI carries out an examination whether itOn X in the run -up to the Bundestag election, manipulation of the election.
The platform had previously refused to provide the scientists publicly accessible data. It's aboutRanges of channels and the number of likes and shares.
With the judgment theDigital Services Act(DSA) enforced. According to the EU Act, platforms are obliged to provide researchers such information. The Berlin Regional Court justified the judgment by the fact that further waiting would endanger the research project.
Election influence by X and Elon Musk
Research in this area is important: aStudyThe Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich from 2024 showed, for example, that the algorithms of Facebook and Instagram play out political advertising differently, with certain parties being preferred.
In this context, the platform X is particularly spicy in the upcoming Bundestag election. Her CEO Elon Musk had already publicly supported the Republican candidate Trump in the run-up to the US election last year.
OneStudyof theCenter for Countering Digital Hate
From 2024 it showed that false or misleading statements by Elon Musk achieved a total of 2 billion calls on the US election on X. Experts emphasize that the platform played a central role in the spread of false information about crucial swing states.
Elon Musk clearly commented on the election campaign in Germany. So he wrote on X last December:Only the AfD can save Germany
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The daily showreports how the billionaire also made election recommendations in favor of the party and showed himself publicly with party members of the AfD several times. Research must show whether the sympathy of the CEO is also reflected in an electoral influence on its platform.
The managing director of the Dri, Michael Meyer-Resend, emphasizes the neutrality of his organization on the GFF page:We examine such debates impartially to bring transparency to what happens on such platforms.
The court ruling is groundbreaking in this context because it shows that theData output can be disputed in court by platforms. Simone Ruf, lawyer and deputy head of the GFF Center for User Rights summarizes this:
The decision is a huge success for freedom of research and our democracy! We have fought for access to relevant research data and try to influence elections. A strong sign of protecting our fundamental rights in the digital age.
