Medical and Hospital News
INTERNET SPACE
German defence ministry suspends posting on X platform
German defence ministry suspends posting on X platform
by AFP Staff Writers
Berlin (AFP) Jan 15, 2025

Germany's defence ministry said Wednesday it was suspending activities on social media platform X, which is accused of enabling the spread of disinformation under its owner Elon Musk.

The ministry said it "will no longer post proactively on the channel for the foreseeable future", justifying the move by saying that "the fact-based exchange of arguments is becoming increasingly difficult" on the platform.

The ministry is the latest of a host of public institutions in Germany to announce they will suspend activity on the platform formerly known as Twitter or leave it altogether.

Last week, more than 60 German universities said they were turning their backs on the site. Its "current direction is not compatible with the basic values of the institutions concerned -- openness to the world, scientific integrity, transparency and democratic discourse", the grouping said.

The German defence ministry said that it "reserved the right to react on X in exceptional cases, such as to react to disinformation".

It said it would in the future use a channel on WhatsApp, owned by rival US tech company Meta, to proactively share information.

For the moment no other German ministry has said it would follow suit.

Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said the chancellery was staying on X for now but admitted that it was a "difficult judgement".

The foreign ministry is also staying on the platform, spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said, while adding it was "continuously observing" the situation.

She said the ministry would "use other platforms more intensively, including Bluesky in both German and English".

The foreign ministry had reactivated its dormant account on X's rival on Tuesday with a message saying it "feels so great to be under bluer skies again".

Musk has stirred controversy by insulting German leaders and urging people to vote for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in next month's snap general election, a move which has been condemned across the political spectrum.

Last week X livestreamed a conversation between Musk and AfD leader Alice Weidel and two days later Musk shared a stream of the party's congress on his own X feed.

jsk/fz/sbk

X

Meta

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
From ban to buyout: What next for TikTok in the US?
Washington (AFP) Jan 15, 2025
TikTok faces an imminent shutdown in the United States after Congress passed a law last year forcing its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell the platform or close it on Sunday. The US Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on TikTok's challenge to the law. Following a hearing last Friday, expectations are high that the law will stand. Here is a review of what could happen next for TikTok in the United States. - App store ban - To execute a ban, the US government would direct ... read more

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

Mexico's president formally launches campaign to get guns off streets

Right-wing disinformation targets DEI, 'liberal' policies as LA burns

Italy FM says new Syria leader pledged to stop 'illegal immigration'

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
Kazakhstan encouraged by rare leopard sighting

Why birds make such diverse sounds new global study sheds light

China's viral wild boar hunters attract fame and concern

Tiny plants reveal big potential for boosting crop efficiency

INTERNET SPACE
China reports 5 cases of new mpox strain

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

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.