Element 68Element 45Element 44Element 63Element 64Element 43Element 41Element 46Element 47Element 69Element 76Element 62Element 61Element 81Element 82Element 50Element 52Element 79Element 79Element 7Element 8Element 73Element 74Element 17Element 16Element 75Element 13Element 12Element 14Element 15Element 31Element 32Element 59Element 58Element 71Element 70Element 88Element 88Element 56Element 57Element 54Element 55Element 18Element 20Element 23Element 65Element 21Element 22iconsiconsElement 83iconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsiconsElement 84iconsiconsElement 36Element 35Element 1Element 27Element 28Element 30Element 29Element 24Element 25Element 2Element 1Element 66

Germany: Much Ado about Little

Germany: Much Ado about Little

In their contribution to a collection of papers by The Hague Program for Cyber Norms and Leiden University, Prof. Dr. Matthias C. Kettemann and Martin Fertmann explain how disinformation about COVID-19 is addressed in Germany and what legal questions arise in this context.

Download the collection here (PDF)
 

Abstract
Throughout the pandemic, Germany has taken a careful stance in responding to influence  operations. Historically, it is not disinformation but hate speech that has taken the front and  center position in the German platform regulation discourse. The notion that the process of political opinion formation is supposed to be free from state intervention (Staatsferne des Meinungsbildungsprozesses) is valued as a key element of Germany’s constitutional order, coupled with clear rules against specific types of serious antisemitic and other qualified hate speech and  dehumanising expressions. Outside of illegal expressions, too large an influence of domestic  authorities on the process of negotiating the rules of information behaviour is viewed as an even greater risk to the country’s liberal democracy than the risks associated with foreign influence operations.
 

 
Kettemann, M. C.; Fertmann, M. (2021): Germany: Much Ado about Little. In: Vériter, S.; Kaminska, M.; Broeders, D.; Koops, J. (eds.): Responding to the COVID-19 ‘Infodemic’: National Countermeasures to Information Influence in Europe (The Hague: The Hague Program for Cyber Norms. December 2021), pp. 27-32, https://www.thehaguecybernorms.nl/research-and-publication-posts/responding-to-the-covid-19-infodemic-national-countermeasures-against-information-influence-in-europe.
 

Germany: Much Ado about Little

In their contribution to a collection of papers by The Hague Program for Cyber Norms and Leiden University, Prof. Dr. Matthias C. Kettemann and Martin Fertmann explain how disinformation about COVID-19 is addressed in Germany and what legal questions arise in this context.

Download the collection here (PDF)
 

Abstract
Throughout the pandemic, Germany has taken a careful stance in responding to influence  operations. Historically, it is not disinformation but hate speech that has taken the front and  center position in the German platform regulation discourse. The notion that the process of political opinion formation is supposed to be free from state intervention (Staatsferne des Meinungsbildungsprozesses) is valued as a key element of Germany’s constitutional order, coupled with clear rules against specific types of serious antisemitic and other qualified hate speech and  dehumanising expressions. Outside of illegal expressions, too large an influence of domestic  authorities on the process of negotiating the rules of information behaviour is viewed as an even greater risk to the country’s liberal democracy than the risks associated with foreign influence operations.
 

 
Kettemann, M. C.; Fertmann, M. (2021): Germany: Much Ado about Little. In: Vériter, S.; Kaminska, M.; Broeders, D.; Koops, J. (eds.): Responding to the COVID-19 ‘Infodemic’: National Countermeasures to Information Influence in Europe (The Hague: The Hague Program for Cyber Norms. December 2021), pp. 27-32, https://www.thehaguecybernorms.nl/research-and-publication-posts/responding-to-the-covid-19-infodemic-national-countermeasures-against-information-influence-in-europe.
 

About this publication

RELATED KEYWORDS

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive the Institute's latest news via email.

SUBSCRIBE!