X Challenges German Court Order to Give Researchers Access to Election Data
X is challenging a decision in the Berlin Regional Court that it said Tuesday "egregiously undermines our fundamental right to due process and threatens the privacy rights and free speech of our users."
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The case, filed by Democracy Reporting International (DRI) and the Society for Civil Rights (Gesellschaft fur Freiheitsrechte, GFF), was based on the Digital Services Act, which requires platforms to give researchers access to relevant data, DRI said. The court ordered X to give the organization unrestricted access to all publicly available data immediately and until shortly after the German federal election, DRI noted. DRI and GFF are investigating whether electoral manipulation is taking place on X before the election, DRI said.
X, however, slammed the court for not giving it the opportunity to respond to the suit before granting the organizations access to the data. It also accused the sole judge in the case of having previously worked for GFF and of having failed to recuse himself.