BERLIN

A German court ruled on Friday that X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, must grant researchers access to data needed to monitor disinformation ahead of the country’s Feb. 23 elections.

The Berlin Regional Court ruled in favor of the Civil Liberties Association (GFF) and Democracy Reporting International (DRI), which filed an urgent appeal earlier in the week.

The activists argued that access to the data was crucial for tracking the spread of election-related misinformation. The court ruled that delaying access would undermine the research project, particularly in the critical pre-election period.

It also ordered X to cover €6,000 ($6,200) in legal costs for failing to respond to the court’s requests.

Following the ruling, the Civil Liberties Association declared victory, stating that X must grant Democracy Reporting International unrestricted access to all public data on the platform until after the elections.

“This decision is a major win for research freedom and our democracy,” said lawyer Simone Ruf of the civil liberties group.

"By securing access to key research data, we can counter attempts to influence elections and send a strong signal for protecting fundamental rights in the digital age."

Activists had sued X over its refusal to provide systematic access to public engagement metrics, such as views, likes, and shares.

They argued that under the EU Digital Services Act, they had the right to access such data.

Musk has faced criticism in Europe for supporting far-right political circles.

Last month he did a livestream on X with Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel and joined an AfD election event online.

Some European leaders have accused Musk of interfering in domestic politics after spending some $277 million to return Donald Trump to the US presidency.