The decision to deactivate X was taken for several reasons.
- The PSA has relatively few followers on X and the great majority of these (about 75 per cent) also follow it on other platforms. X will therefore be neither an effective nor a necessary channel for the PSA in the event of an emergency, for example.
- The changes to X during the summer, including the introduction of a subscription solution, imposed restrictions on it as an open and accessible source of information. That makes it a vulnerable channel for a public body and in many respects breaches the government’s communication strategy. The Norwegian Press Association is one of many commentators which have recommended that public bodies seek other channels for sharing information.
- A trend can also be seen towards X becoming a platform characterised by hate speech and fake news. The EU among others has warned against this.
- Some public bodies in Norway, such as the police, have already decided to deactivate/phase out their accounts.
Given that visitor numbers to and engagement with its X account are also declining compared with Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, the PSA terminated its account at 31 December 2023.
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