BERLIN (AP) \u2014 The governor of Germany\u2019s state of Lower Saxony said Monday he is quitting Twitter because the microblogging site is increasingly being used to spread \u201chatred and incitement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts have\u00a0warned of a rise in anti-semitic vitriol\u00a0if Twitter\u2019s new CEO Elon Musk grants \u201camnesty\u201d to suspended accounts. A top European Union official urged Musk last week to\u00a0step up the site\u2019s policing of illegal content\u00a0or risk being banned in the 27-nation bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While some ordinary users have already quit Twitter, officials have hesitated to do so because the site plays a prominent role in the political conversation in many countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Governor Stephan Weil of Lower Saxony, a state of about 8 million inhabitants in the north of Germany, said his account would be deleted in the course of Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe lack of controls and insufficient verification are increasingly leading to the spread of hate and incitement, misinformation and conspiracy theories,\u201d Weil wrote in his final tweet. \u201cI don\u2019t need to be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state government\u2019s Twitter account will also be deleted, German news agency dpa reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesman for Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the federal government was still considering its options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked about Weil\u2019s decision, spokesman Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin that the government was \u201clooking very closely\u201d at the impact of Musk\u2019s takeover of Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still looking at how it develops,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd generally speaking, we will collectively consider whether we\u2019re going to continue taking part in this network or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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