German court orders to grant data access to democratic researchers before the federal elections

Under the European Union Law, X is one of a handful of major social media platforms that it facilitates the arrival of researchers in the public interest to support the study of regular risks – such as elections and other democratic operations. But the company, which was previously known as Twitter, was prevented from civil society to the platform data, according to two institutions of civil society, which on Friday obtained a brief ruling against X in a regional court in Berlin.

Reuters She mentioned that the German Society for Civil Rights (GFF) and democracy that compares international reports (DRI) obtained a court decision of the order of X to immediately provide them with data so that they can study public talks and activity on its platform.

Federal elections It is scheduled to happen in Germany later this month-and in the period before the national poll, MUSK X is used to broadcast personal support for the AFD party the far right, tweet In December “AFD only can save Germany,” as well as Hosting an in -depth chat with its co -leaderAlice Widel, last month.

in press release In detail the procedure submitted under the Bloc Digital Services Law (DSA), GFF X was accused of preventing research in the possible election intervention.

“The basic system refused to provide DRI with access to the public, such as arrival or number of likes and participants. It is related to possible manipulation before voting. “

“Other platforms gave us access to public discussions systematically on their platforms, but the company X refused,” DRI, CEO of DRI, added in a statement. “We see that, according to the digital services law, we have the right to access data and enhance the public good by showing how political campaigns develop on social media platforms.”

X cannot be accessed immediately to comment.

The platform is already under investigation due to the suspected violations of DSA by the European Commission, which opened a widespread investigation in December 2023-Following a group of “primary” grievances in July, including suspicions X has failed to facilitate access to researchers’ data where it is committed DSA.

While the European Union probe continues on X – and may eventually lead to fines of up to 6 % of its global annual rotation rate, or even an order to prevent access to the platform in the regional – the law opens the company to broader legal risks via DSA challenges to litigation and court, such as the challenges that Presented by GFF and DRI.

GFF said that in addition to seeking to implement the DSA rule, which requires the platforms in the range to provide researchers “immediately access to the data available to the public” so that they can investigate the regular risks, the lawsuit aims to clarify these cases to German courts or whether the researchers need to go To Ireland – where the regional x headquarters is created.

Regarding the jurisdiction of the jurisdiction, it should be noted that the DSA Disaded litigation against X last year through a court in the Netherlands prevailed in the summer, when a private citizen in the country used the organization to sued XX successfully on Shadowbanning, in addition to securing judgments against it is within the protection framework Data in the block, GDP, and the European Union Consumer Protection Law.

Separate Friday, Reuters I stated that the Paris prosecutors have opened their X -on the alleged algorithm bias, after that ComplaintMember of the French Parliament.