Dutch State Sec. of Digitalization quits X

Outgoing State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen (Digitalization) is quitting X because the platform does not comply with EU laws and does not appear to have any intention of doing so, she told NU.nl. “For me, it is done,” she told the newspaper.

On Monday, the State Secretary will post a final message on X, formerly Twitter, to announce her departure. Her account will continue to exist for the time being so that her past posts can be read back. But she is deleting the app from her phone, Van Huffelen said.

Van Huffelen said she gave X time to comply with new European laws to better protect citizens and create a fairer playing field for tech companies. But that has not happened. “That is also the line we have always chosen with Facebook,” she told NU.nl. “We speak to them if they do not comply with the rules. We then have a conversation to see whether they are working on it. But with [X owner Elon] Musk, that conversation never happened. He is not open to it.”

“Freedom of expression is allowed on any social media,” Van Huffelen said. “However, European law does ask these types of platforms to adhere to several rules. So that there is moderation, that there is no hate speech, and that it is a safe environment for everyone.”

The State Secretary stressed that her decision to quit X was personal and not the Dutch government's general policy. The accounts of other Cabinet members remain active.

Several large businesses have also withdrawn from X since Musk took over, including the Dutch broadcaster KRO-NCRV. “The KRO-NRCV stands for a society in which we live together in harmony, a connected society,” director Peter Kuipers said about the decision. “A social media channel that seems to give its users plenty of room for polarization and racism no longer fits.” Apple and Disney also stopped advertising on the platform last year due to anti-Semitism.