In February, it was reported that activist groups from the Society for Civil Rights (GFF) and Democracy Reporting International sued X in Germany, accusing it of violating European law by not providing data required to track disinformation online ahead of Germany’s February election.

X allegedly was not providing access to data such as the reach of posts, alongside the number of likes or shares they got.

X has not responded to Reuter’s requests for comment.

It was later reported by Reuters that the court ruled X must release the required data to let Society for Civil Rights (GFF) and Democracy Reporting International track misinformation ahead of the election. X had allegedly not responded to the court’s request for information, and the company was ordered to bear the cost of court proceedings (USD 6,200).

Later in February, Reuters reported that X secured a court motion to remove a judge overseeing the case whom it argued had "positively engaged" with social media content from the two activist groups. X also filed an appeal.

The court case comes amid fears of online disinformation seeking to influence elections across Europe. In the context of X, the question of online disinformation has allegedly been lent “added urgency” amid Elon Musk’s endorsement of the German far right.