The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Monday that it will be discontinuing its presence on the social media platform X, opting instead to utilize a rival platform Bluesky for its social media activities. This move makes the EMA the latest organization to abandon X, a platform that has faced criticism for its content moderation practices.
The agency declared, “EMA will no longer post updates and content on X. We believe the X platform no longer suits our communication needs.” Following a thorough evaluation, the EMA has opted to establish a presence on Bluesky, as stated, “After careful consideration, the Agency has decided to open an account on Bluesky.”
The EMA’s decision to leave X is not an isolated incident, as several other organizations have also either departed or reduced their activity on the platform due to concerns over its content. These organizations include the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate, Germany’s foreign and defence ministries, the British news publisher The Guardian, and several universities in the UK.
The EMA’s decision to leave X coincides with billionaire owner Elon Musk’s increased involvement in European politics, including his recent endorsement of a far-right party in Germany.
Elon Musk’s influence on the US presidential election is a topic of debate, but his platform, X, has been criticized for enabling the spread of misinformation. Despite this, Musk claims he wants X to champion free speech. Since Donald Trump’s election victory, Bluesky has gained significant traction, adding millions of users, although it remains smaller than its rivals.
The European Medicines Agency is a key EU agency responsible for evaluating, supervising, and monitoring the safety of medicines. Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the EMA played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic, making pivotal decisions on vaccine use within the European Union.
While the European Medicines Agency has decided to leave X, other EU institutions, including the European Commission, continue to maintain an active presence on the platform. Additionally, the European Central Bank recently joined Bluesky, but has chosen to remain on X as well.
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