Share of legal demands to remove content that Twitter/X acted on

What this chart asks

Has X acted on a larger share of legal demands to remove content than Twitter did before Elon Musk bought it?

Why it is shown this way

• Bars rather than a line, because 2022-H1 to 2023-H2 were never reported and a line would imply continuity across the gap.
• Color separates Twitter's compliance rate from X's action rate, which are defined differently.
• The y axis starts at zero.

Chart annotations

These markers provide relevant context for interpreting the chart. Their timing or position does not, by itself, establish causation.

Twitter and X measure this differently; compare with care

Value: 50

Twitter compliance rate (2019-2021) vs X action rate (2024).

Data and accessibility

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Dataset x-content-removal-demands, analysis compliance-rate-series

Sources

This chart draws on the sources of the dataset versions it visualizes.

Twitter/X legal demands to remove content, 2012-2024

1. Twitter Transparency Report #20 data download (Jul-Dec 2021), removal and information request CSVs covering 2012-2021 Primary: official data file for 2012-H1 to 2021-H2

   Retrieved October 10, 2026. Publisher copyright; figures reproduced as facts. Figures extracted; source files not redistributed

   Archived copy captured October 10, 2026

2. Twitter Transparency: Removal requests, July-December 2021 Primary: headline compliance rate and cross-check of totals

   Retrieved October 10, 2026. Publisher copyright; figures reproduced as facts. Figures extracted; source files not redistributed

   Archived copy captured October 10, 2026

3. X blog: An update on Twitter Transparency Reporting (April 25, 2023) Primary: summary figures for 2022-H1

   Retrieved October 10, 2026. Publisher copyright; figures reproduced as facts. Figures extracted; source files not redistributed

4. X Global Transparency Report, H1 2024 (PDF) Primary: 2024-H1 figures (p. 13)

   Retrieved October 10, 2026. Publisher copyright; figures reproduced as facts. Figures extracted; source files not redistributed

   Archived copy captured September 29, 2026

5. X Global Transparency Report, H2 2024 (PDF) Primary: 2024-H2 figures (p. 13)

   Retrieved October 10, 2026. Publisher copyright; figures reproduced as facts. Figures extracted; source files not redistributed

   Archived copy captured October 10, 2026

6. X 2025 Transparency Report (HTML version of the H2 2024 report) Primary: cross-check of 2024-H2 figures; also the latest report linked as of 2026-10-10

   Retrieved October 10, 2026. Publisher copyright; figures reproduced as facts. Figures extracted; source files not redistributed

   Archived copy captured October 9, 2026

7. Rest of World: Twitter is complying with more government demands under Elon Musk (2023) Secondary context only: analysis of Lumen database submissions; not part of the series

   Retrieved October 10, 2026. Publisher copyright; figures reproduced as facts. Figures extracted; source files not redistributed

   Archived copy captured October 10, 2026

Limitations

• The two measures are not identical: Twitter counted demands where it withheld or removed any reported content, including for breaking its own rules; X counts cases actioned over total requests, without defining actioned.
• Periods with no published rate are absent, including every half-year from 2022-H1 to 2023-H2 and after 2024-H2.
• Demands include some from private lawyers in Twitter's figures; X does not define its population.
• Worldwide totals are dominated by Japan and Turkey; US demands are a small share.