German Regulators Push Algorithmic Boost for State-Approved Media, Sparking U.S. Pushback

German regulators plan to force social media platforms such as X to boost government-approved “reliable” media outlets in their algorithms, according to leaked documents. The US government has vowed to respond over what it sees as pressure on American tech firms.

In a draft ‘Digital Media State Treaty’ seen by Apollo News, the heads of Germany’s 14 state media regulators have outlined plans to boost the visibility of “public value media” on social media platforms such as X and TikTok.

In order to combat “disinformative, polarizing, or merely attention-grabbing content,” the regulation would force platforms to alter their algorithms to prioritize content from mainstream news sources, such as Germany’s ARD and ZDF broadcasters. Content will be ranked by its “timeliness, relevance to the public’s interest in information, and journalistic context,” and will appear accordingly in users’ feeds, the draft states.

The concepts of “disinformation” and “public value” will be decided by media regulators appointed by the parliaments of their respective states. As such, the enforcement of the treaty will be inherently politicized.

If adopted, the regulation will likely apply to all major social media platforms. However, Elon Musk’s X has been singled out by Thorsten Schmiege, who chairs the Conference of Directors of the State Media Authorities. Speaking to the Frankfurter Rundschau earlier this month, Schmiege criticized Musk for stripping away much of the X’s speech restrictions when he purchased the platform in 2022.

“Content moderation was very responsible back then,” he said, adding that he aims to make it “economically necessary” for X to reintroduce its prior censorship policies.

X is an American platform, and any algorithmic changes would influence what kind of content Americans are exposed to. “A key force at play here is foreign governments’ desire to control who commands credibility, even on American platforms,” US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers wrote on X on Wednesday. Asked whether the State Department would push back against the draft treaty, Rogers responded “stay tuned.”

The EU fined X €120 million ($139 million) in December for violating its Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping censorship bill adopted in 2024. Brussels argues that X’s blue checkmark system for paid subscribers constitutes “deceptive” advertising, claiming that accounts with the checkmarks have not been “meaningfully verified.”

Musk and some senior members of President Donald Trump’s administration have accused the EU of unfairly singling out X for punishment over its refusal to censor political speech.

“The European Commission’s $140 million fine isn’t just an attack on X, it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time. Rubio sanctioned former European Commissioner Thierry Breton and four pro-censorship activists in response.