EFF says it is leaving X as “X is no longer where the fight is happening”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation announced it is logging off X after nearly two decades on the platform, saying the math “hasn’t worked out for a while.” EFF says an X post today receives less than 3% of the views a single tweet delivered seven years ago — a collapse in reach that the organization says undercuts its ability to protect digital rights where people actually are.

The numbers aren't working out

EFF lays out a sharp drop in engagement: posting five to ten times a day in 2018 brought 50–100 million impressions per month; by 2024 their 2,500 X posts mustered about 2 million impressions monthly, and last year 1,500 posts earned roughly 13 million impressions for the entire year. The organization also notes platform changes since Elon Musk’s takeover: it has been reported that the company’s human rights team was fired and staff in key regions were laid off. EFF says it pushed for transparent moderation, stronger security like real end‑to‑end DMs, and better tools for users and third‑party developers — requests it felt went unmet.

Not abandoning the people

Why stay on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube then? Because EFF argues leaving those platforms would be abandoning the very people who need digital‑rights help most. Young people, communities of color, queer organizers, mutual‑aid networks — many rely on the mainstream apps for information, safety and livelihoods. EFF is clear that presence is not endorsement; it calls its continued use of those platforms pragmatic, and a way to meet users where they are.

Where EFF will focus next

EFF says it will refocus energy toward Bluesky, Mastodon, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and eff.org — and push its work where it judges it will have the most impact. Logging off X feels like a punctuation mark more than a retreat: the fight for digital rights, EFF insists, is alive — just not on that particular stage. Follow them there, they say, because rights shouldn’t have to chase an audience.

Sources: eff.org