Objection to ruling: X does not want to give researchers access to election data
The short message platform X has lodged an objection to the fact that data from the social network may be analyzed after the Bundestag elections.
(Image: sdx15/Shutterstock.com)
The short message service X has appealed against a decision by the Berlin regional court, reports Politico. The court had ruled that publicly available data from X may be analyzed for research into election interference after the 2025 federal election. X argues that the company's headquarters are located in Ireland and that the German authorities therefore have no decision-making authority in this case.
The Chamber ruled in summary proceedings that researchers must be granted access to this data after the organization Democracy Reporting International (DRI) filed a lawsuit against X on 3 February. The lawsuit was also supported by the Gesellschaft fĂĽr Freiheitsrechte (GFF). When asked by heise online, neither DRI and GFF nor the Berlin Regional Court were able to confirm X's objection.
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The basis for the previous lawsuit is Article 40 of the Digital Services Act (DSA). It obliges large platforms such as X to grant researchers access to an online interface (API) via which they can retrieve publicly available data. This data relates to likes, shares and the reach of posts, for example. DRI and GFF had stated in their lawsuit that X had prevented them from accessing this data. In the ruling, X was ordered to provide access by February 25, Politico adds.
(tlz)
