More than 60 German-speaking universities and research institutions want to set an example and have jointly announced that they will cease their activities on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
Fachhochschule Dortmund had already marked its Twitter account as inactive a year ago and instead focused on the microblogging services "Bluesky" and "Threads". The withdrawal is the result of the platform's current focus not being compatible with the fundamental values of the participating institutions: Openness to the world, scientific integrity, transparency and democratic discourse.
The changes to Platform X - from the algorithmic amplification of right-wing populist content to the restriction of organic reach - make its continued use unjustifiable for the participating organizations. The withdrawal of the institutions underlines their commitment to fact-based communication and against anti-democratic forces. The values that promote diversity, freedom and science are no longer present on the platform.
With the joint X withdrawal, the participating institutions reaffirmed the importance of an open and constructive culture of discussion. This decision only affects the X accounts of the participating institutions and not their communication via other social media channels. In light of recent events, they will continue to closely monitor the development of other platforms and their algorithms.
The list of participating institutions:
- Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences
- Bauhaus University Weimar
- Berlin University of Applied Sciences
- Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg
- Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel
- German Ornithological Society
- German Sport University Cologne
- European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)
- Fachhochschule Dortmund
- Distance Learning University in Hagen
- Free University of Berlin
- Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg
- Goethe University Frankfurt
- HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
- Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
- Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences
- Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences
- Saar University of Fine Arts
- Hamburg University of Music and Drama
- Munich School of Philosophy
- Furtwangen University
- Munich University of Applied Sciences
- Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences
- Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences
- RheinMain University of Applied Sciences
- Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences
- Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development
- Nürtingen-Geislingen University for Business Studies and the Environment
- Humboldt University of Berlin
- Institute for Bird Research
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
- Justus Liebig Society
- Justus Liebig University Giessen
- Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine-Westphalia
- Wuppertal University of Applied Sciences
- Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research
- Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde
- Medical University of Innsbruck
- Philipps University Marburg
- RWTH Aachen University
- Georg Agricola University of Technology
- Cologne University of Technology
- Braunschweig University of Technology
- Darmstadt University of Technology
- Dresden University of Technology
- University of Bamberg
- University of Bayreuth
- Saarland University
- Berlin University of the Arts
- University of Duisburg-Essen
- University of Erfurt
- University of Greifswald
- University of Heidelberg
- University of Innsbruck
- University of Münster
- University of Potsdam
- University of Siegen
- University of Trier
- University of Ulm
- University of Würzburg
- University of Lübeck
- University of Applied Sciences Zwickau