European Medicines Agency ditches Elon Musk’s X in favor of Bluesky

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is the regulator for vaccines and medicine in the European Union (EU), has stopped using the social media platform X. The website is owned by Elon Musk, who is an important ally of the newly elected United States president Donald Trump. The EMA, whose headquarters are based in Amsterdam, is currently the only EU organization to leave the platform.

The European Commission is investigating X in connection with possible breaches of European social media rules. The executive board of the European Union is demanding information about the algorithms that bring messages on X to the attention of users.

In addition, Brussels is demanding information about the enforcement of internal rules. Social media companies are obligated to protect users against fake news, terrorist content, and online hate within the European Union.

The EMA said that X “no longer suits our communicative needs,” without elaborating on this. The agency will publish on the alternative website Bluesky from now on. The X account will not be deleted.

The agency is keeping the account to prevent people from impersonating the EMA. And also wants to have the possibility “to continue to follow conversations about public and animal health.”

Musk has been head of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” since this week, even though this is not yet an official government department. Musk bought X, formerly called Twitter, in 2022.

Many users have left the social media platform due to their displeasure with how it is being run. At least 17 social organizations made the decision to leave the platform last week. These included Oxfam Novib, COC, Urgenda, Bits of Freedom, and Terre des Hommes.

British, German, and Austrian universities have also stopped using their accounts, as have the University of Utrecht and the University of Amsterdam.