Internet censorship in Germany
Encyclopedia
Internet censorship in Germany is practised by law as well as the effect of some court decisions.
An example of content censored by law is the removal of web sites from Google search results that deny the holocaust
, which is a felony
under German law.
In February 2010, a federal law
was passed regarding internet censorship
for child pornography
access and distribution in the internet. after the first government initiative
in this matter by the federal government came up in January 2009 from the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth under minister Ursula von der Leyen
(hence dubbed Zensursula - a portmanteau of the german word "Zensur", meaning "censorship", and Ursula). In the coalition talks between CDU and FDP succeeding the German Elections in September 2009 both parties agreed to try to delete illegal sites instead of blocking them. After one year the success of the deletion policy will be assessed.
As of Feb 28, 2011, the ruling CDU party wants the assessment phase to end immediately, effectively enabling the German Internet to be censored from March 1st.
Most cases of internet censorship in Germany, however, occur after state court
rulings. One example is a 2009 court order, forbidding German Wikipedia to disclose the identity of Wolfgang Werlé and Manfred Lauber
, two criminals convicted of the murder of the Bavarian actor Walter Sedlmayr
. In another case, wikipedia.de (an Internet domain run by Wikimedia Deutschland) was prohibited from pointing to the actual Wikipedia content. The court order was as a temporary injunction in a case filed by politician Lutz Heilmann
over claims in his German Wikipedia article regarding his past involvement with the former German Democratic Republic
's intelligence service Stasi
.
The first known case of internet censorship in Germany occurred in 1996, when the Verein zur Förderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes banned some IP addresses from internet access
.
An example of content censored by law is the removal of web sites from Google search results that deny the holocaust
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
, which is a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
under German law.
In February 2010, a federal law
Federal law
Federal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. A federal government is formed when a group of political units, such as states or provinces join together in a federation, surrendering their individual sovereignty and many powers to the central government while...
was passed regarding internet censorship
Internet censorship
Internet censorship is the control or suppression of the publishing of, or access to information on the Internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations either at the behest of government or on their own initiative...
for child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
access and distribution in the internet. after the first government initiative
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
in this matter by the federal government came up in January 2009 from the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth under minister Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen is a German politician of the conservative Christian Democratic Union.Since 30 November 2009, she has served as the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Second Cabinet Merkel. In the First Cabinet Merkel , she served as Federal Minister of Family...
(hence dubbed Zensursula - a portmanteau of the german word "Zensur", meaning "censorship", and Ursula). In the coalition talks between CDU and FDP succeeding the German Elections in September 2009 both parties agreed to try to delete illegal sites instead of blocking them. After one year the success of the deletion policy will be assessed.
As of Feb 28, 2011, the ruling CDU party wants the assessment phase to end immediately, effectively enabling the German Internet to be censored from March 1st.
Most cases of internet censorship in Germany, however, occur after state court
Judiciary of Germany
The Judiciary of Germany is based on the concept of the , in which the exercise of governmental power is constrained by law. Federal law delineates the structure of the judiciary, but the administration of most courts is regulated by the states of Germany which are responsible for the lower levels...
rulings. One example is a 2009 court order, forbidding German Wikipedia to disclose the identity of Wolfgang Werlé and Manfred Lauber
Wolfgang Werlé and Manfred Lauber
Wolfgang Werlé and Manfred Lauber are German half-brothers who were convicted of the 1990 murder of actor Walter Sedlmayr. The murder, and subsequent trial and conviction of Werlé and Lauber in 1993, received extensive media coverage in Germany and elsewhere.In 2009, Werlé and Lauber again received...
, two criminals convicted of the murder of the Bavarian actor Walter Sedlmayr
Walter Sedlmayr
Walter Sedlmayr was a Bavarian stage, television, and movie actor.-Career:After his 1945 wartime Abitur, Sedlmayr served as a Flakhelfer towards the end of World War II...
. In another case, wikipedia.de (an Internet domain run by Wikimedia Deutschland) was prohibited from pointing to the actual Wikipedia content. The court order was as a temporary injunction in a case filed by politician Lutz Heilmann
Lutz Heilmann
Lutz Heilmann is a German politician of the left-wing party Die Linke. He was elected to the Bundestag in the 2005 federal election as a member of the party list in Schleswig-Holstein. Shortly thereafter it was revealed that he had worked for the Stasi...
over claims in his German Wikipedia article regarding his past involvement with the former German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
's intelligence service Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
.
The first known case of internet censorship in Germany occurred in 1996, when the Verein zur Förderung eines Deutschen Forschungsnetzes banned some IP addresses from internet access
Internet access
Many technologies and service plans for Internet access allow customers to connect to the Internet.Consumer use first became popular through dial-up connections in the 20th century....
.