The Censorship Network: Regulation and Repression in Germany Today • Hacker News Board

Re: The Censorship Network: Regulation and Repression in Germany Today

#21

Post by veeti » Sun, Nov 23, 2025, 4:51 AM UTC

notrealyme123 wrote: post #19

IlikeKitties wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That picture did not suggest someone is part of the SS but that someone in the Bundeswher might have contacts to SS People. To argue that this should even go in front of a judge is insanity. Every carnival float in Düsseldorf every year would have to be evaluated by a judge than. Just a RANDOM example: https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/motivwaegen-von-jacques-till... Freedom of speech includes satire. To ignore that is…

If it's obvious then the judge says that. did the student got punished? What is the chilling effect if the defendant gets right?

The chilling effect is the police knocking on your door, taking all your devices and being under investigation for months on end before you are cleared. If you are lucky.

Re: The Censorship Network: Regulation and Repression in Germany Today

#22

Post by fwn » Sun, Nov 23, 2025, 11:08 AM UTC

I don't know about their methodology, but as a German, I get the feeling that the project is rather vague.

For example, I would have liked to see more specifics on what they define as censorship in terms of scope.

Mainstream discourse in Germany is very conservative when it comes to defining censorship. They would hardly name de-ranking, deplatforming, intimidation, exclusion from the financial system, or even full control of information by private organizations as censorship. Government-enacted media bans, such as the Commission banning Russian state media, are rarely viewed as censorship by Germans. ( https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-rt-sputnik-illegal-eu... )

I'm not trying to make a value statement in one direction or the other, but if your communication product addresses a market or seeks to tie into public discourse, it should be in touch with its concepts.

Re: The Censorship Network: Regulation and Repression in Germany Today

#23

Post by amypetrik8 » Sun, Nov 23, 2025, 7:47 PM UTC

oezi wrote: post #14

viktorcode wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mostly agree with your points, but there’s one form of censorship that exists in Germany today: internet censorship driven by the commercial interests of right holders and implemented by the major internet service providers. In short: illegal streaming sites can be blocked for access. Some people might disagree that it isn’t a form of censorship, but it fits the bill: blocking access to information on the sole disc…

I am not sure this counts as censorship. But I agree that copyright violations are likely policed (through copyright holders and their lawyers) more strictly in Germany than hate speech.

well you can see some of the 60 minutes piece here:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/germany-online-hate-speech-pros...

basically idea is "go after trolls". who likes trolls? nobody. at a glance should upset no-one. Okay.. now ask.. what does a troll mean to you, mean to me, mean to the people in power. It's a slippery slope you see, the definition of troll inevitably growing broader with time to cover all forms of wrongthink.

Then there's the other part of it, severity of punishment in ratio to a few words typed. Now the interesting thing here is it would be very easy to crack open a neighbor's wifi crypto, forge a MAC address, use a clean system/browser fingerprint such as a thrift store laptop, and now that neighbor you don't like is in hot water. The problem with such rules is ironically, with the intent to stop trolls, in fact supercharge trolling potential

Re: The Censorship Network: Regulation and Repression in Germany Today

#24

Post by viktorcode » Mon, Nov 24, 2025, 6:39 PM UTC

oezi wrote: post #14

viktorcode wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mostly agree with your points, but there’s one form of censorship that exists in Germany today: internet censorship driven by the commercial interests of right holders and implemented by the major internet service providers. In short: illegal streaming sites can be blocked for access. Some people might disagree that it isn’t a form of censorship, but it fits the bill: blocking access to information on the sole disc…

I am not sure this counts as censorship. But I agree that copyright violations are likely policed (through copyright holders and their lawyers) more strictly in Germany than hate speech.

Germany does have piracy policing for torrents, for instance. Access is not blocked though, and thus I don't consider fines for torrenting to be an act of censorship.