Liveblog Federal Politics: Streeck on New Year’s Eve: Don’t underestimate alcohol | EUROtoday

On Dec 30, 2025

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Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) has spoken out towards an actual title requirement on the Internet. “I reject a government-imposed requirement to use real names on the Internet. Anyone who wants to express their own opinions or experiences anonymously or under a pseudonym is not responsible for this,” she instructed the “Tagesspiegel”.

Bavaria’s Digital Minister Fabian Mehring (Free Voters) and the previous President of the Federal Constitutional Court, Andreas Voßkuhle, had beforehand spoken out in favor of such an obligation within the newspaper. This would require adjustments on the federal stage.

Hubig added that the “legitimate interest in permanent anonymity” ends “where crimes are committed”. “Freedom of expression also has limits in the digital space,” mentioned Hubig. It is subsequently essential “that criminal statements on the Internet are tracked and perpetrators can be held accountable.” But there isn’t a want for an actual title requirement. If the id of criminals may be decided retrospectively, that may be adequate.

Mehring had mentioned that the proper to freedom of expression doesn’t embrace the proper to anonymity. “You have to stand by your statements; analogue and digital.” What is felony on the regulars’ desk should even be punishable on-line. In his opinion, an actual title requirement on social media may civilize the web discourse tradition. Anyone who is aware of that their actions won’t have penalties behaves extra responsibly.

Voßkuhle had made an identical argument and defined that he thought-about such an obligation to be “not entirely easy,” however “constitutionally permissible.” Hubig mentioned: “When interpreting criminal law, the fundamental right of freedom of expression must be taken into account.” The Basic Law protects “particularly controversial opinions and polemical escalations”.

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