Germany’s Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency has made the decision to close its account on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, due to the increasing intolerance of minorities expressed by users on the site. The agency has cited a surge in racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, transphobia, and other forms of misanthropic content as reasons for their departure. They are urging other organizations to follow suit. This move comes after the rapid spread of misleading claims and doctored images in the aftermath of a deadly attack by Hamas gunmen in Israel over the weekend, which has drawn renewed attention to the platform led by Elon Musk.

X has faced criticism, especially in relation to this recent incident. Despite the agency's decision, German government officials have not followed suit and continue to maintain profiles on X. They argue that there is currently no alternative channel through which leaders like Chancellor Olaf Scholz can reach a broad swathe of the public online. X, in response to the criticism, claims to have taken steps to curb the spread of inappropriate posts in recent days, including removing newly created Hamas-affiliated accounts. The German anti-discrimination agency acknowledges the challenges in dealing with the massive rise in hate comments, as it would require more staff, which raises concerns about the use of tax money.

They suggest that other state agencies and government ministries should question whether it makes sense to remain on a platform that has become a disinformation network. While some government ministries still maintain profiles on X, Economy Minister Robert Habeck has not had a presence on the platform since 2019. Overall, the decision by Germany's Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency to close its account on X highlights the increasing concerns about the platform's tolerance, which could potentially lead to other organizations reevaluating their presence on the site as well.