Belgian NGOs and politicians leave X over disinformation concerns
11.11.11 Belgium, a coalition that represents 60 NGOs, will leave social media platform X on 20 January, coinciding with Donald Trump's inauguration as American president. The organisation for international solidarity wants to distance itself from the disinformation and political manipulation that it feels dominate social media.
“X is a danger to democracy, human rights, and humanity,” 11.11.11 said in a press release on Friday, alongside member organisations such as Oxfam, Chirojeugd Vlaanderen, Çavaria and Broederlijk Delen.
"X is no longer an open discussion platform, but a threat to the foundations of our society"
"Since [X owner Elon] Musk's open radicalisation, the open hate speech and political manipulation that are given free rein without moderation have increased exponentially," according to Els Hertogen, director of 11.11.11.
"X is no longer an open discussion platform, but a threat to the foundations of our society. The lack of responsibility and ethical boundaries has a profound effect on our democracy, the protection of human rights and humanity."
In addition to calling for civil society actors, media companies and political leaders to distance themselves from X, 11.11.11 confirmed it would transition to Bluesky, an emerging decentralised social media platform.
Several other organisations, including Oxfam Belgium, have also decided to leave X, though the move does not include all 52 member groups of 11.11.11. The Christian Mutuality health insurance fund and NGO Digital Flanders also announced their exits on Friday morning.
The wave of departures follows Flemish green party Groen’s recent decision to abandon the platform after its sister party, Ecolo, advocated for X’s temporary suspension until it complies with European regulations.
Meanwhile, politicians have debated the platform’s future in light of these concerns. Kris Verduyckt of Flemish socialists Vooruit suggested temporarily suspending Flemish government accounts on X, a proposal rejected by minister president Matthias Diependaele of conservatives N-VA.
“The European Commission is investigating whether the platform violates the Digital Services Act,” Diependaele said. “We need to know if there’s an issue with the algorithms, which is why we’ve already denied civil servants access to TikTok.”
CD&V’s Peter Van Rompuy proposed creating a task force similar to Germany’s to oversee social media during the sensitive pre-election period.
Follow Belga English's Bluesky account @belgaenglish.bsky.social
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO VUK VALCIC / SOPA IMAGES / SIPA USA
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