Many German politicians are regularly threatened and insulted online. The Greens parliamentarian, Özcan Mutlu, is just one example. As election season heats up, so too do the reactions on social media.
Image: DW/F. Hofmann
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"We're quick to respond," Özcan Mutlu said. The Greens Party Bundestag member is campaigning for re-election. His team quickly creates and posts images and gifs across his social media channels. Mutlu is no internet newbie. His supporters expect him to keep on top of his core campaign issues as they appear online. Others, though, react less kindly to him.
As a German with Turkish roots, he is confronted by both neo-Nazis and Turkish nationalists - not only hate-filled commentary, but also death threats. Send him "to the gas chamber," one message said.
"I always report these offenses," he said. So far, however, that reporting has had little effect. The state attorney has looked into more than 40 instances of online abuse and nearly all are covered by freedom of expression. Mutlu is angry. In some cases, offenders have been summoned by police, he said, only to apologize to him for their comments. Mutlu was then encouraged to forgive them, "which is absurd," he said. Mutlu feels particularly threatened by comments that clearly suggest "they are in your immediate vicinity, from those you can come across on the street."
Mutlu's party colleague, Renate Künast, once turned the tables, visiting the homes of those who posted hateful comments about her. Some found it funny, but it changed little. Members of all parties face threats. Opposition was thus nearly nonexistent to regulations that crack down on social media comments recently introduced in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, just ahead of the country's September national elections. The Greens contest the details, but many are for it overall.
Free speech under threat
"Freedom of speech has a weak lobby in Germany," said Niko Härting, a lawyer in Berlin who specializes in internet issues and is against the new regulations. "Everyone is concerned with what should be banned," he added, meaning what people do not want to hear. There is general agreement that "freedom of speech should be protected for the majority against the loud comments of the minority, which are occasional. This is, of course, a very dangerous course of action."
German politicians take on cyberbullies
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Härting also has expertise in the way Facebook deals with hate speech. The social media giant's office in Berlin can delete offensive comments, though the company has restricted media access to it. "What you find there would hardly win any friends," Härting, who has visited the office, said.
Violence and pornography
Violence and hard pornography get deleted, he said. Decision-making authority over online speech is, as he sees it, surrendered to a private company. Härting posed the question: What happens when "someone is blocked by Facebook because a satirical post gets misunderstood by a Facebook employee?" There is no recourse in this case. Instead, Härtling wants to hold the state attorney to account, with a task force comprised of experts with a deep knowledge on the subject.
Mutlu agrees, but he wants to see Facebook held accountable, too. "Facebook has algorithms to block posts showing nudity," he said. "If Facebook wants to it can build algorithms for criminal offenses. But the company doesn't want to do that."
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Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kastl
Free speech or illegal content?
Whether hate speech, propaganda or activism, governments across the globe have upped efforts to curb content deemed illegal from circulating on social networks. From drawn-out court cases to blanket bans, DW examines how some countries try to stop the circulation of illicit content while others attempt to regulate social media.
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Social media law
After a public debate in Germany, a new law on social media came into effect in October. The legislation imposes heavy fines on social media companies, such as Facebook, for failing to take down posts containing hate speech. Facebook and other social media companies have complained about the law, saying that harsh rules might lead to unnecessary censorship.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Hase
Right to be forgotten
In 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that European citizens had the right to request search engines, such as Google and Bing, remove "inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive" search results linked to their name. Although Google has complied with the ruling, it has done so reluctantly, warning that it could make the internet as "free as the world's least free place."
Image: picture-alliance/ROPI/Eidon/Scavuzzo
Blanket ban
In May 2017, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Russian social media platforms and web services. The blanket ban affected millions of Ukrainian citizens, many of whom were anxious about their data. The move prompted young Ukrainians to protest on the streets, calling for the government to reinstate access to platforms that included VKontakte (VK), Russia's largest social network.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/Str
Safe Harbor
In 2015, the European Court of Justice ruled that Safe Harbor, a 15-year-old pact between the US and EU that allowed the transfer of personal data without prior approval, was effectively invalid. Austrian law student Max Schrems launched the legal proceedings against Facebook in response to revelations made by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, Edward Snowden.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Warnand
Regulation
In China, the use of social media is highly regulated by the government. Beijing has effectively blocked access to thousands of websites and platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Instead, China offers its citizens access to local social media platforms, such as Weibo and WeChat, which boast hundreds of millions of monthly users.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Imaginechina/Da Qing
Twitter bans Russia-linked accounts
Many politicians and media outlets blame Russia's influence for Donald Trump's election victory in 2016. Moscow reportedly used Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Instagram to shape public opinion on key issues. In October 2017, Twitter suspended over 2,750 accounts due to alleged Russian propaganda. The platform also banned ads from RT (formerly Russia Today) and the Sputnik news agency.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Rourke
Facebook announces propaganda-linked tool
With social media under pressure for allowing alleged Russian meddling, Facebook announced a new project to combat such efforts in November 2017. The upcoming page will give users a chance to check if they "liked" or followed an alleged propaganda account on Facebook or Instagram. Meanwhile, Facebook has come under fire for not protecting user data in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
