📣 The number of followers of German scientific institutions in the #Fediverse surpassed the 160k mark 💥 last weekend, see
👉 mastodon-listen.playground.54g…

Yes, it's true: we shouldn't get caught up in this nonsensical discussion about #reach of #socialmedia.
On the other hand, it’s a great success 🏆 for initiatives such as #Unis4Mastodon, #Byebyeelon, #WissXit, #SaveSocial, @helloQuitX, @leavex and others that more than 150 research institutions in Germany are contributing to the expansion of the Fediverse.

To our friends in the #USA, we say that we are alarmed at how the new #USpolicy is attacking #science. We are trying to build decentralized and independent #socialnetworks to make our research institutions and democracy resilient to attacks from #autocrats and #hostilitytoscience.
And we think this transformation should happen in other countries, too, to strengthen #democracy.

#SciComm #eXit

The #eXit wave of #universities continues in northern #Europe, in #Finland.

After the university of Oulu also the university of #Helsinki will stop communicating via X.

“X no longer serves the purpose for which we have used it: disseminating the University’s communications content to our desired target groups. ..,” says Director of Communications Taina Kyllönen.

“We don’t want to promote a conflict-seeking conversational culture, nor do we wish to expose our #researchers to offensive behaviour through our own posts,” says Kyllönen.

studies.helsinki.fi/instructio…

#Unis4Mastodon

Also „The University of Oulu leaves X“

👉 oulu.fi/en/news/university-oul…

The #University of #Oulu will discontinue university-level communications in the X. … Some Finnish universities, many public administration organizations, associations, and #companies have made the decision to abandon the channel.
"X's reach has dropped considerably. The platform's nature has become unpredictable and an instrument of a certain kind of policy. As a university, we want to participate in a #democratic and constructive debate that includes appreciating #science and #research. Now #X does not seem to offer such a platform," says Marja Jokinen, Director of Communications at the University of Oulu.

Bravo, UniOulu. Great decision! 🎇
#eXit #Unis4Mastodon

The University of Oulu leaves X - focuses on other social media platforms

The University of Oulu will discontinue university-level communications in the X. The decision concerns the university's main account (@UniOulu).

^www.oulu.fi

(1/2) Dear supporters,

yesterday our petition for #Unis4Mastodon ended with more than 2,070 signatures.
Yesterday alone, another 114 signatures were collected
openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon
This shows how pressing the issue of using truly #socialmedia is for many people.

We have managed to get a number of #universities to shut down their X-accounts. And we know that many are considering taking this step as well.
Furthermore, #SciComm is no longer conceivable without the #Fediverse, as the steadily growing number of followers on #Mastodon channels shows.
mastodon-listen.playground.54g…

In 2 days our appeal to #universities and the #HRK for an #eXit and #Unis4Mastodon will close.

Everyday, X demonstrates how unsuitable it is for #SciComm. And finally, the eXit wave has reached the universities, as our logo image shows, which is getting increasingly bigger. 👍 Most of them are also active on #Mastodon, see mastodon-listen.playground.54g…

So, sign up ✍️ quickly that other universities will follow (everyone from Germany and abroad may participate)
👉 openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

Happy New Year 2025!
And good luck to the #Fediverse.

In 4 days our petition to the #universities and the #HRK for the eXit and #Unis4Mastodon 👩‍🎓 🐘 👨‍🎓 will end.
So, please, sign quickly:
👉 openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

For inspiration, here is a picture of the logos of #research institutes in Europe that have already made the #eXit. Great, and congratulations!
(forgot anyone? → feel free to let us know).
Some of them have already set up #Mastodon channels, see the amazing list by @scammo
mastodon-listen.playground.54g…

@daniel @ricmac @BBCRD

A #PeerTube channel for university videos is a cool thing. We recommend this as the second activity that #universities in the #Fediverse should take after setting up a #Mastodon channel. It's great that you've already done that. Feel free to report on it here; there are many university teachers and researchers who would like to benefit from your experiences.

#Unis4Mastodon

We had to complement our figure, because the university of #Erfurt was missing as one of the eXiters.
Now it has been added. People in the #fediverse would be happy to see a #Mastodon account of #UniErfurt that would allow to follow by real #socialmedia.

#unis4mastodon

European Universities started …
.. leaving X

#Universities in #Amsterdam, #Vienna, #Berlin, #Karlsruhe, #Aachen and other cities in Europe have left microblogging service X during the last week(s).

They justify this step with the systematic lack of moderation on the platform, which has resulted in a flood of hate speech, disinformation and cyberbullying.

Some of them have already started to run channels on Mastodon: @univienna, @tuberlin, @KIT_Karlsruhe, @UniOldenburg @unibremen, @freieuniversitaet, @UniUlm , @HTW_Berlin, @uni_paderborn.

X is not a suitable medium for communication in #research and #education. Help get the other #universities to follow suit and sign the petition
👉 openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon
#unis4mastodon 🌻 👩‍🎓 #eXit

Strengthening European digital sovereignty

So many institutions are just talking about it. You do it.

Bravo,
@ngi @NGITransoceanic @NGICommons @fediversity @NGIZero @e_mydata @NGI_Localforlocal @NGI_Taler @ngisargasso @ngitrustchain @ngisearch @openwebsearcheu @NGI_Enrichers @review
A very good decision.

You may help the universities to follow by signing
👉 openpetition.de/unis4mastodon

#Unis4Mastodon

European Federation of Journalists is leaving X

X-odus: @EFJEUROPE account will be frozen from 20 January 2025
“We cannot continue to participate in feeding the social network of a man who proclaims the death of the media and therefore of journalists,” said EFJ President Maja Sever. “The social media site X has become the preferred vector for conspiracy theories, racism, far-right ideas and misogynistic rhetoric. X is a platform that no longer serves the public interest at all, but the particular ideological and financial interests of its owner and his political allies.”

europeanjournalists.org/blog/2…

Please, sign the petition, so that universities will follow 👇
openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

#eXit #exodus #EFJ #Journalists #Unis4Mastodon

X-odus: @EFJEUROPE account will be frozen from 20 January 2025

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has decided it will no longer post content on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, from 20 January 2025, ...

^{European Federation of Journalists}

“We wanted to let readers know that we will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X,” the Guardian said. 👇

📣 theguardian.com/media/2024/nov…
#Unis4Mastodon

If you would like to see universities to follow, please, sign the petition
👉 openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

Guardian will no longer post on Elon Musk’s X from its official accounts

Platform’s coverage of US election crystallised longstanding concerns about its content, says Guardian

^{Dan Milmo (The Guardian)}

The methods practiced on #X disqualify the network for any sensible communication.
Now it is also making money by spreading #AI-generated #FakeNews and influencing elections in the USA, as the BBC reports:
bbc.com/news/articles/cx2dpj48…

#Universities and other #research and #educational institutions that want to provide fact-based information should switch to the real social media of the #Fediverse 🐿️ like #Mastodon 🐘 as soon as possible.

It is beyond reason that the legitimization of lying networks like X is supported with #taxpayers' money.
Help change this soon and sign the petition 👇
openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

#Unis4Mastodon #eXit
@maxplanckgesellschaft @fraunhofergesellschaft

How X users earn thousands from US election misinformation and AI images

The accounts are part of pro-Trump and pro-Harris networks sharing each other’s content multiple times a day.

^{Marianna Spring (BBC News)}

Some people who want to leave #X wonder if #BlueSky is an alternative. 😕
In our petition, we advocate using the decentralized #Mastodon. We do not consider BlueSky to be a sustainable alternative because it is another commercial service that spies on user data to generate customized #advertising with it.

The BlueSky Terms of Service bsky.social/about/support/tos
and Privacy Policy comprise 7100+ words 😡. Nobody reads this; this is not an “informed consent” as required by #GDPR. We see the #universities here as having a duty of care towards their students and employees, whom they must protect from such data collection. Mastodon and the other #Fediverse 🦩 services are much more suitable for university communication.
BlueSky is just another data leech.

That's why you should sign the petition for #Unis4Mastodon 🐘 👩‍🎓 🐘 :
openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

Terms of Service - Bluesky

Welcome to Bluesky Social, a social networking application provided by Bluesky! We're excited to have you on board as a user.

^Bluesky

We forgot to add the University of Applied Sciences #HTW_Berlin to the list of #universities that did the #eXit 👣. They silenced their #X account this year and do not post there anymore.
Bravo, @HTW_Berlin, a good step! 👏
👉 htw-berlin.de/en/

In addition, a channel has been set up into the Fediverse 🌳 and the X logo has been removed from the homepage (a small hint: now add the Mastodon logo to the homepage).
Many potential followers would certainly be interested in finding out more about #HTW_Berlin via the #Mastodon channel.
Sign the petition: ✍️ openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

#Unis4Mastodon 🐘

The #BelfastTelegraph reports:

"Jess Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and #violence against #women and #girls spoke out in the wake of a spat between UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the platform’s boss, Elon Musk."
".... she scaled back her use of the social media platform #X, claiming it had become “a bit despotic” and was “a place of misery now”. 👇
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk…

Great decision, #JessPhilips! 👏
You are a role model for politicians and educational institutions.

#Unis4Mastodon 🐘 👩‍🎓 #Xodus #eXit
Sign the petition 👉 openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

Social media site X is ‘only a place of misery’, Government minister says

A UK government minister told how she scaled back her use of the social media platform X, claiming it had become “a bit despotic” and was “a place of misery now”.

^{By Katrine Bussey, PA Scotland Political Editor (BelfastTelegraph.co.uk)}

In our appeal we argue:
"#Disinformation and hate speech, ... are still defining elements" on #X, "elections are being manipulated and democratic institutions are attacked."

A current example of this is the #Trollrensics study on the #EPelection that became public last week. According to it, millions of posts promoting right-wing populist parties were distributed by over 50,000 fake accounts on X. 👇
theguardian.com/world/article/…

Why do #universities legitimize these fake campaigns with their presence on X?
Sign the petition 👉 → openpetition.de/unis4mastodon

#Unis4Mastodon 🇪🇺 🌼 🇪🇺

Disinformation networks ‘flooded’ X before EU elections, report says

Analysis by Dutch researchers shows coordinated activity in France, Germany and Italy in run-up to ballot

^{Lisa O'Carroll (The Guardian)}

We wrote in our appeal for universities to move from #X to #Mastodon:
„The increasing use of so-called #AI methods exposes users to ever more subtle manipulation, for which the excessive collection of personal data has created the conditions.“
A recent report on the existence of these systems shows the relevance of this point:
defenseone.com/threats/2024/07…

#Unis4Mastodon
Sign the petition 👉 openpetition.de/unis4mastodon

US, allies take down Kremlin-backed AI bot farm

Allegedly launched by a deputy editor at a Russian state-backed news agency, the bot farm spread disinformation on X/Twitter.

^{David DiMolfetta (Nextgov/FCW)}

@eloquence
Yes, in fact! 💥
Dear readers, please, help that other universities will soon follow and sign the petition
👉 openpetition.de/unis4mastodon

#Unis4Mastodon 🌻

The #FreeUniversity of #Berlin, one of the best-known #universities of #Germany has decided to close its account on #X:
"In light of developments on the social media platform X, Freie Universität Berlin has decided to shut down this channel."
fu-berlin.de/informationen-fue…

In its justification, it commits itself to the principles of the #Fediverse and #OpenScience:
"Freie Universität Berlin has been present on Mastodon since December 2022. #Mastodon is part of the decentralized Fediverse network. Compared to large commercial social networks, Mastodon relies on chronological feeds and reduces the algorithmic sorting of posts. This ensures that information is always openly available and reduces the likelihood of so-called filter bubbles forming."

Bravo, @freieuniversitaet ! A good decision!

#Unis4Mastodon 🌻 #AlleInsFediverse 🐘 🐘 🐘

This week, two more research and education networks are leaving X/#Twitter.
The Dutch #SURF & the European #GÉANT have declared their withdrawal as of May 2nd.
connect.geant.org/2024/04/29/g…
surf.nl/en/news/surf-stops-usi…

They justify this with the increase in #HateSpeech and #FakeNews on #X and will now become more active on #Mastodon 🐘.
Bravo @SURF and @geant !!!

#Unis4Mastodon 🌻

Sign the petition to trigger German universities to follow 👇
openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

SURF stops using X (Twitter)

From 2 May, SURF will stop using X (formerly Twitter) as its communication channel. The reason is that X no longer matches SURF's public values such as humanity, autonomy and justice.

^SURF.nl

Even if the article isn't quite fresh, we would like to draw your attention to it:

👉 eua.eu/resources/expert-voices…
where Wladimir Mufty @wlaatje described how a #Mastodon 🐘 server can be set up for the electronic communication within universities.
The implementation has already started for whole of the Netherlands.

A great example for us to follow! 🎖️

#Unis4Mastodon

@unigreifswald @UniOldenburg @unibremen @HCUHamburg @unihannover @tubraunschweig @ChariteBerlin @HTW_Berlin @tuberlin @freieuniversitaet @HHU @unikassel @unipotsdam @fernunihagen @uni_paderborn @unijena @hsanhalt @unileipzig @EAHJena @tudresden @UniKoeln @Sporthochschule @tuchemnitz @unimainz @uniheidelberg @unimannheim @KIT_Karlsruhe @PHKA @FAU @hfg_gmuend @uni_regensburg @unituebingen @phludwigsburg @unibwm @hochschule_kehl @Uni_Stuttgart @hdmstuttgart @tu_muenchen @Hochschule_Reutlingen @unihohenheim @unikonstanz @UniUlm @uniinnsbruck @unifreiburg

We welcome #TUBerlin at Mastodon! 🎇
It's great that the third large university of Berlin after @freieuniversitaet and @ChariteBerlin now joins the Fediverse 🌻 .
Happy tootings, @tuberlin.

#Unis4Mastodon 🐘 🐘 🐘

We've created another image for our campaign.

Share it where you can to help #universities make more use of the #Fediverse 🌻 and say goodbye to #X / #Twitter - just like many others already did.

And feel free to sign it yourself, if you haven't already done so
👉 openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon

#Unis4Mastodon 🐘 🐘 🐘

When it comes to #tracking users, the focus is often on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.

The European data protection group noyb @noybeu filed a complaint against #X / #Twitter last year for violating the #GDPR:
👉 noyb.eu/en/gdpr-complaint-agai…

As determined by noyb, the company collects sensitive data such as political views and religious beliefs by monitoring clicks, likes and responses to posts on its own platform.
Felix Mikolasch, data protection lawyer at noyb: “After we filed our first complaint in this matter, the EU Commission has already confirmed to stop advertising on X. However, to put an end to this in general, we need enforcement against X as a platform used by many others.”

In our petition
👉 openpetition.de/Unis4Mastodon
we pointed out the #DataProtection problems with the major platforms and thus recommend the use of #Fediverse services at #universities.

#Unis4Mastodon

GDPR complaint against X (Twitter) over illegal micro-targeting for chat control ads

X enabled the illegal political micro-targeting used by the EU Commission

^noyb.eu

The NFDI, which organizes the data management of German research, has left #X / #Twitter.
nfdi.de/the-nfdi-association-a…

The exit was announced and communicated at the end of last year:
„We encourage you to join us in other spaces that support constructive and respectful dialogue.“

Since then, NFDI has shifted its focus in public communication to other platforms such as #Mastodon 🐘 and has put for itself and its consortia
@nfdi4culture @NFDI4Memory @NFDI4Microbiota @NFDI4Chem @nfdi4objects @nfdi4health @punch4nfdi
its own server into operation.

Bravo, @NFDI !

#Together we are taking back #ourInternet.
#UnisInsFediverse 👨‍🎓 👩‍🎓 #Unis4Mastodon

The #library of University #Mannheim has left X/ #Twitter:
"As a scientific institution, we are committed to free and open access to information and knowledge and also reject any kind of #extremism, #hatespeech and #disinformation. We have therefore decided to close our account on the #X platform as of January 31, 2024."
blog.bib.uni-mannheim.de/Aktue…

Bravo, Mannheim University Library, for this decisive step!
And don't these values apply to all scientific institutions in Germany?
The UB is now looking into setting up an account on #Mastodon, as @unimannheim already operates.
If you want to help the #universities continue on this path, sign the petition:

👉 openpetition.de/unis4mastodon

#unis4mastodon