Amsterdam blocks replies on X as hate speech issues grow; Utrecht Univ. exits platform

The City of Amsterdam has made it impossible to comment on its posts on X. The municipality will also no longer respond on the platform “due to the large amount of hate speech,” the city said on Wednesday. Utrecht University also said it was exiting the platform over concerns about harassment, fake profiles, and disinformation campaigns.

“We will continue to post information on X,” the City of Amsterdam said in a post on the platform. “You can still respond and make reports via the telephone, website, and our other social media channels.”

“The decision was made because we receive numerous hateful comments under our posts,” a spokesperson for the municipality of Amsterdam told AD. “Hate has increased significantly since the coronavirus period and increased again after Elon Musk took over Twitter.”

Amsterdam joins a growing list of organizations and people who stop or reduce their use of X. Earlier this year, the Amsterdam public transport company GVB and broadcaster KRO-NRCV stopped communicating via X, both citing the non-stop flow of hate speech and racism on the platform.

Utrecht University said "disinformation, fake accounts and online intimidation" on X has left it no choice but to leave. The university also encouraged "all members of our academic community" to "consider the reasons for the decision to stop using X" when determining whether they will continue to use the platform.

The university also said its reach on X has plummeted in recent years, and it is "difficult to have constructive and meaningful dialogue" on the social media site. Older messages will still be available on the university's official account, but new posts and replies will not be published.

Former State Secretary of Digitalization Alexandra van Huffelen also quit the platform early this year. “Since the takeover, there is an increasing idea that it is a platform where everything should be possible,” she said at the time. “If a platform really does not want to comply with our rules, then it is time for me to say goodbye.”