“German activists sue X demanding election influence data”

…Activist groups have sued Elon Musk's social media platform X in a Berlin court, accusing it of breaking European law by not giving them the information they need to track disinformation online ahead of Germany's Feb. 23 national election.

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…

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….