German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency Closes Account On Platform X Due To User Intolerance

The German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency announced that it would close their accounts on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, due to growing intolerance towards minorities voiced by users on the site. They also encourage other agencies to follow this move.

The rapid spread of misleading claims and manipulated images after a deadly attack by Hamas shooters in Israel has sent a focus back on Elon Musk's platform, which has recently received negative attention from the European Union.

Due to rising racism, misogini, anti-Semitism, as well as content that harms trans and query groups, "X is no longer a sustainable environment for public bodies," said the agency commissioner, Ferda Ataman.

Despite the growing call to get out of X, German government officials rejected it on the grounds that there is currently no replacement channel that would allow such a leader Chancellor Olaf Scholz to reach the public widely online.

Meanwhile, X did not want to comment on the German anti-discrimination agency's decision.

X announced that it had taken steps to limit the spread of inappropriate posts over the past few days and remove newly created Hamas affiliated accounts as an attempt to "prevent terrorist content from being disseminated online."

Germany's anti-discrimination agency overtook a spike in hate comments by adding more staff to deal with the issue, which was seen as less efficient use of tax money by Ataman.

Government agencies and other ministries should consider whether there are benefits of staying on a platform that "has become a network of desinformation," said Ataman.

Germany's foreign, economic and financial ministries, as well as the government still have profiles on X, although Economy Minister Robert Habeck has not been there since 2019.