German activists sue X demanding election influence data
The two groups - the Society for Civil Rights (GFF) and Democracy Reporting International - said X was not providing systematic access to data like the reach of posts and the number of likes and shares they got.
"Other platforms have granted us access to systematically track public debates on their platforms, but X has refused to do so," said DRI's Michael Meyer-Resende in a statement on Wednesday, announcing the lawsuit.
The groups say they have the right to receive this data under the terms of the European Union's Digital Services Act. X did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Authorities throughout Europe have been on high alert for evidence of systematic online disinformation or operations seeking to sway elections, especially since last year's later annulled presidential election in Romania, where a pro-Russian candidate won a shock first-round victory after what authorities said was a Russian-steered social media campaign. Moscow denied interference.
In the case of X, still used by much of the German government and political class despite some recent departures, the question is lent added urgency by Musk's recent endorsement of the German far right.
"Platforms are increasingly being weaponised against democratic elections," added GFF's Simone Ruf. "We must defend ourselves."
Since his takeover of the former Twitter, Musk has shut down most of the access routes by which researchers were in the past able to track the spread of information on the platform, converting that access into a charged-for service.
The world's richest person, now leading U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to slim and purge the U.S. federal government, hosted the far-right Alternative for Germany's leader Alice Weidel for an interview on X in January, posting: "Only the AfD can save Germany!"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
Wall St mixed, chip majors wobble after China sales deal
Aug 11 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were choppy on Monday as investors prepared for a busy week and chip companies seesawed after agreeing to share a portion of revenue from China sales with the U.S. under a trade policy shift from the Trump administration. Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O), opens new tab reversed premarket losses and were last up 0.2% and 2.6%, respectively, in volatile trading. A U.S. official told Reuters the semiconductor majors had agreed to give the United States government 15% of revenue from sales of their advanced chips to China. Analysts said the levy could hit the chipmakers' margins and set a precedent for Washington to tax critical U.S. exports, potentially extending beyond semiconductors. "A lot of people are not sure what to make of that because this is the first time in history that it's ever happened where an administration wants a percentage of the profits from a publicly traded company," said Michael Matousek, head trader at U.S. Global Investors Inc. Enabling semiconductor sales to China was an integral issue in the agreement Washington and Beijing signed earlier this year, which expires on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump lauded China's cooperation in talks at a White House news conference earlier on Monday. At 11:59 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), opens new tab fell 91.43 points, or 0.21%, to 44,084.19, the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab gained 6.87 points, or 0.11%, to 6,396.39, and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), opens new tab rose 60.17 points, or 0.28%, to 21,510.19. Six of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors slipped, while healthcare (.SPXHC), opens new tab gained 0.4%, recovering some of the 5% declines it had logged so far this year. Traders took a step back after last week's rally helped the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab and the Nasdaq (.IXIC), opens new tab log their strongest weekly performance in more than a month. On Monday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq was on track for its third consecutive record closing high, if gains hold. Investors expect that the recent shakeup at the U.S. Federal Reserve and signs of labor market weakness could nudge the central bank into adopting a dovish monetary policy stance later this year, fueling much of the optimism. July's consumer inflation report is due on Tuesday and investors currently anticipate that the Fed will lower borrowing costs by about 60 basis points by December, according to data compiled by LSEG. Citigroup and UBS Global Research became the latest brokerages to raise their year-end targets for the benchmark S&P 500. Micron Technology (MU.O), opens new tab raised its forecast for fourth-quarter revenue and adjusted profit, sending its shares rising 3%. Intel (INTC.O), opens new tab was up 5.4% after a report said CEO Lip-Bu Tan was expected to visit the White House. Trump had called for his removal last week. TKO (TKO.N), opens new tab jumped 7.5% after Paramount (PSKY.O), opens new tab bought the rights from the live entertainment company to exclusively distribute UFC events for the next seven years in a deal valued at around $7.7 billion. Trump is expected to meet Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Friday to try and negotiate an end to the war on Ukraine. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1-to-1 ratio on the NYSE. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.05-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P 500 posted 13 new 52-week highs and 14 new lows, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 60 new highs and 82 new lows.
Evening Standard
28 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
FTSE 100 climbs ahead of jobs data
The two leaders will meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday to try to resolve the three-year war, but the EU has insisted that Kyiv and European powers should be part of any deal to end the conflict.
Scottish Sun
28 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
‘I will tell Putin to end this war': Trump reveals first details of showdown Putin talks & hints Zelensky could still go
It comes as a top Putin ally urged the tyrant to end the war TIME FOR PEACE 'I will tell Putin to end this war': Trump reveals first details of showdown Putin talks & hints Zelensky could still go Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DONALD Trump has revealed details for the highly-anticipated crunch talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. The US President described the upcoming talks as a "feel-out meeting" - and said that his Russian counterpart wants to get the war "over with". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 7 Trump has revealed details for his meeting with Putin on Friday Credit: Reuters 7 Trump and Putin are set to meet on US soil on Friday to discuss the end of the Ukraine war 7 Locals witness the devastation of residential buildings bombed by Russian forces in Ukraine on August 10 Credit: Getty 7 He also told reporters that he would tell Putin: "You've got to end this war, you've got to end it." The historic showdown scheduled for August 15 will mark the first time the pair have met since June 2019, with the White House still weighing up whether or not to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump is also set to dial in with European leaders including Zelensky on Wednesday for an emergency summit in preparation for the Putin meeting. He said he would call European leaders "who I get along with very well" after leaving the talks. Trump said on Monday: "I've said that a few times and I've been disappointed because I'd have a great call with him [Putin] and then missiles would be lobbed into Kyiv or some other place." He added: "I'd like to see a ceasefire, I'd like to see the best deal that could be made for both parties, it takes two to tango." It comes as a top Vladimir Putin crony urged the tyrant to end his war in Ukraine - just days before crunch talks with Donald Trump, reports say. The Deputy Head of Putin's administration, Dmitry Kozak, has reportedly encouraged the Russian leader to halt the invasion and begin peace talks. It comes after sources close to the US President said that they were "very hopeful" Ukraine's leader would be invited to the highly-anticipated talks. One senior administration official told NBC News that a trilateral meeting remains "absolutely" possible. Could wanted war criminal Putin be ARRESTED when he meets Trump? How Vlad will use loophole to escape cuffs in Alaska Another official briefed on White House conversations said: "It's being discussed." It is believed that no official invite has been talked about with Kyiv as of yet. A senior White House official explained: "Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin." Zelensky has already been adamant that he must be involved in any peace talks as they directly impact on the future of his country. Speaking last week, the brave leader said any pact struck without Kyiv's involvement would be "stillborn decisions against peace" and would fail before they even began. "Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace," he said. "They will not achieve anything." His powerful stance has now been echoed by European leaders. Sir Keir Starmer and the leaders of France, Italy, Poland, Finland and the EU all issued a stark warning saying there can be no peace without Ukraine. 7 Top Putin aide Dmitry Kozak (L), has reportedly urged Putin to end the war Credit: Getty 7 Ukrainian anti-drone units down a Russian UAV in Donetsk, Ukraine Credit: Getty Longtime Putin ally Kozak, 66, is said to have stepped out of line after years of being secretly opposed to the war, the New York Times reported. He is believed to have presented a plan to end the fighting, which even included proposals for internal reforms. Before the full-scale invasion in 2022, Kozak warned the Russian president about the risks of fierce Ukrainian resistance. He also tried but failed to negotiate a working truce after the war started. Western officials claimed that Kozak continued to contact them over the last few years, seeking arguments that might sway Putin. The top Russian aide managed the integration of Crimea into Russia after it was annexed in 2014. Who is Dmitry Kozak? by Harvey Geh LONGTIME Putin ally Dmitry Kozak rose from a St. Petersburg prosecutor to deputy head of Putin's administration through close ties with the Russian President. Born in what was Soviet Ukraine, he served in GRU special forces before training as a lawyer. He has managed crucial projects like the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the integration of Crimea after it was annexed. In 2020 he became Russia's lead envoy to Kyiv, negotiating over Donbas and Transnistria. Kozak privately warned Putin that invading Ukraine was a mistake, and after proposing a peace deal. He has been sidelined since his secret opposition to the war. Many of his duties have been slowly handed off to his de-facto replacement Sergei Kiriyenko. Because of his central role in Crimea's annexation and Ukraine destabilisation, Kozak faces sanctions from the UK, EU and US. He also managed preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. But the top official has lost much of his political influence since Putin's bloody invasion. The call with European leaders on Wednesday has been organised by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as European leaders desperately scramble to get their message across to Trump. The online summit will reportedly focus on how to put pressure on Russia, how to deal with Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the prospect of potential peace talks. European leaders have made it clear that Putin must first agree to a ceasefire before any peace talks can take place.
