Anti-discrimination commissioner: Federal government should leave X now
Elon Musk's X is not a serious platform, and the presence of government agencies now contradicts the demands of democracy, says Ferda Ataman.
(Image: sdx15/Shutterstock.com)
The Independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination has once again called on the German government to leave US billionaire Elon Musk's social network X. Through their presence on the short messaging service, the Federal Chancellor, ministers and ministries would be upgrading a platform “that has actually become an instrument of political power influence for the richest man in the world”, Ferda Ataman told ARD's main studio. This is not the first time she has called for this because of the developments at X. Back in the fall, she described X as an unsustainable environment for a public body. After that, however, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), for example, returned there with great publicity.
No new demand
According to the report, Ataman admitted that she understood how difficult it would be to leave the platform. If the German government were to leave, it would “of course be a political issue”, she is quoted as saying by ARD: “But it really is necessary. X is not a serious platform.” In light of the Basic Law or “our demands on democracy”, it is “not possible to continue to be present on this platform as a government agency with a clear conscience”. Algorithms there would fuel and support right-wing extremist statements, Ataman adds. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency announced its departure in October, almost two years after the takeover of X (formerly Twitter) by Elon Musk.
Ataman's demand is a reaction to a statement issued by the federal government just a few days ago. Before the turn of the year, a spokesperson admitted that developments at X were being viewed with concern. However, out of concern that they would no longer be able to reach the people there, they believe it is right to maintain a presence there. The discussion had recently become louder after Musk took sides with the far-right AfD and insulted Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on X. He also made explicit reference to the upcoming federal elections.
The Anti-Discrimination Agency currently has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky and YouTube. There is also an account on the short message service Mastodon. However, no new posts have been made there for more than two years. The account there is located on an instance of the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). In total, there are almost 100 accounts for government agencies, a number of which are significantly more active. The federal government and several federal ministries also have a branch there. So there are alternatives to X.
(mho)