Hakan Elson
BERLIN, Feb 18 (Reuters) – Germany’s appeals court has ordered social media platform
Democracy Reporting International, one of the two plaintiffs, said late Tuesday that a Berlin appeals court ruling requires Elon Musk’s X to share information about influence and involvement in positions related to Hungarian parliamentary elections.
A court spokesman said on Wednesday that the ruling was effective immediately.
The decision is seen as a milestone in the implementation of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires major online platforms to allow researchers to access data to monitor risks including disinformation, hate speech and election manipulation.
X did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Setting a precedent for researcher visits
The plaintiffs – DRI and the Civil Rights Association (GFF) – had previously failed to obtain similar data from X for Germany’s 2025 federal elections.
In this case, the lower court ruled that jurisdiction lay in Ireland, where X has its EU headquarters.
However, the Berlin Court of Appeal revisited the issue, determining that German courts can take action when local issues arise, such as when German researchers are refused access to key data for work in the public interest.
The court ruled in favor of the two NGOs, saying X’s violations affected their ability to conduct research in Germany.
“This decision cannot be appealed,” said GFF lawyer Joschka Selinger, adding that the decision could be enforced by paying a fine if X did not comply.
Hungarian election drives transparency debate
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is facing his biggest challenge since his Fidesz party took power in 2010, as the center-right opposition Tisza party leads in most opinion polls. However, pro-government pollsters put Fidesz in the lead, while many voters are undecided.
Previous elections in Hungary were marred by reports of media bias and disinformation.
The Hungarian government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Wednesday.
DRI believes that the court order will lower barriers for European civil society groups seeking to enforce digital rights through national courts.
Observers believe the decision sends a signal to major platforms operating under the DSA that failure to facilitate access for researchers could lead to legal consequences across EU member states.
(Reporting by Hakan Ersen, additional reporting by Anita Komuves, writing by Kirsti Knolle, editing by Gareth Jones)