Medical and Hospital News
INTERNET SPACE
Dozens of German universities turn back on X accounts
Dozens of German universities turn back on X accounts
by AFP Staff Writers
Berlin (AFP) Jan 10, 2025

Dozens of German universities said on Friday they would no longer use social network X -- owned by the world's richest man, Elon Musk -- citing ethical concerns.

More than 60 German universities and academic institutions said in a joint statement that X was now incompatible with their principles.

"The platform's current direction is not compatible with the basic values of the institutions concerned -- openness to the world, scientific integrity, transparency and democratic discourse", they said.

Musk took over the platform, previously known as Twitter, in 2022 before firing about 80 percent of its staff, including those at content moderation teams.

Researchers say the site has turned into a haven for misinformation.

Musk defended the changes in a 2023 interview with Britain's public broadcaster, the BBC, saying they were necessary given Twitter's dire finances.

He has also described himself as a "free speech absolutist", with a permissive attitude towards content on X.

Musk also caused controversy in Germany on Thursday for broadcasting a discussion with Alice Weidel, leader of the extreme-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Parts of the party have attracted the attention of Germany's domestic intelligence agency for possible right-wing extremism.

The academic institutions which signed Friday's statement include Berlin's Humboldt University and a number of faculties which had already stopped using X, such as Berlin's Freie Universitaet.

"Changes on the X platform make it untenable to use it any further," they said, citing as an example the use of algorithms to boost "right-wing populist" content.

Two universities in the Austrian city of Innsbruck also put their names to the statement, which said the withdrawal from X "underlines the institutions' efforts for the sake of fact-based communication and against anti-democratic forces".

The universities are the latest in a string of German institutions to announce they are abandoning X.

On Thursday, the Federal Court of Justice said it would no longer post on the site, as did several labour unions.

In recent months, other businesses and organisations, such as Bundesliga football team St Pauli and supermarket giant Aldi Nord, have also quit X.

The German government said it has no immediate plans to stop using the platform.

Government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told a press conference on Friday: "We are very concerned about how X has developed but at the same time we have to constantly weigh up how we can reach people whom we otherwise wouldn't be able to address."

"For the moment we have decided to keep using our channels on X but it is a constant process of evaluation," she said.

jsk/vbw/gil

X

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
INTERNET SPACE
Philippines arrests 400 foreigners in scam centre raid
Manila (AFP) Jan 8, 2025
Around 400 foreign nationals were arrested on Wednesday in a "large-scale" raid on a suspected online scam farm in Manila, the national immigration agency said. Authorities raided a building and found workers allegedly engaged in online scam operations targeting victims abroad. International concern has grown in recent years over similar scam operations in Asia which are often staffed by trafficking victims who were tricked or coerced into promoting bogus cryptocurrency investments and other co ... read more

INTERNET SPACE
Braced with fire defenses, Getty art center faces LA flames

Climate disasters drive unusually high losses in 2024: Munich Re

Mexicans offered $1,300 to hand in a machine gun

UN warns of shelter needs in Gaza after hypothermia deaths

INTERNET SPACE
SpaceX launches Space Force Rapid Response Trailblazer

GPS alternative for drone navigation leverages celestial data

Deciphering city navigation AI advances GNSS error detection

China advances next-generation BeiDou satellite navigation system

INTERNET SPACE
CES tech looks to help world's aging population

Iraqi archaeologists piece together ancient treasures ravaged by IS

Catholics hold muted Christmas mass in Indonesia's Sharia stronghold

Travelers consider weight-based airfares for sustainable flights

INTERNET SPACE
China's viral wild boar hunters attract fame and concern

Tiny plants reveal big potential for boosting crop efficiency

Some bacteria evolve in seasonal cycles like clockwork

Algerians campaign to save treasured songbird from hunters

INTERNET SPACE
What you need to know about HMPV

China says shared Covid information 'without holding anything back'

Five years on, WHO urges China to share Covid origins data

US lawmakers back Covid Chinese lab leak theory after two-year probe

INTERNET SPACE
China's Xi vows 'all-out battle against corruption'

Driver in central China car ramming handed suspended death sentence

On China's doorstep, Macau weaves an identity as integration looms

Xi to arrive in Macau for 25th anniversary of Chinese rule

INTERNET SPACE
Charred bodies in Ecuador are missing adolescents, say officials

Blast kills two Mexican soldiers, five wounded

Four killed in Colombia airstrike against drug cartel

Somali pirates demand ransom for Chinese vessel

INTERNET SPACE
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.