So far this year there have been 1650 investigations into hate posts on the internet in Bavaria. In future, it should be easier for people who are threatened or insulted on the Internet to report this.
Anyone who is threatened or insulted on the Internet should soon be able to report this in Bavaria via an online reporting portal. Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich (CSU) announced on Wednesday. So far, this option has only been available to media companies and local politicians. The reports are checked by the hate speech officer of the Bavarian judiciary, Chief Public Prosecutor Klaus-Dieter Hartleb. A reporting office for anti-Semitic incidents already exists in Bavaria. However, it is not clear when the registration portal will go online for all citizens. His ministry is still negotiating with a foundation that is supposed to coordinate the project, said Eisenreich.
According to senior public prosecutor Hartleb, there were around 1,650 investigations into hate posts on the Internet in Bavaria last year. Only one of them was discontinued because of insignificance. In addition, there are always concerted actions in which apartments are searched and cell phones, laptops and computers are confiscated. The “usual penalty” for hateful comments on the net is around four monthly net salaries. In the case of previously convicted people, “a single hate mail can lead directly to prison”.
Justice Minister Eisenreich said the state had to show a “clear stance” when comments on the Internet cross the threshold of criminal liability, and again demanded tougher penalties for insults on the Internet. He also criticized the fact that “deep fakes”, i.e. fake pictures and videos, are “not yet correctly depicted” in criminal law. Especially in the messenger service Telegram, Eisenreich and Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) see a danger to democracy from right-wing extremists, corona deniers and conspiracy narrators. Telegram hardly deletes any criminal content and does not work very effectively with the authorities, said Söder. If this does not get better after discussions with the operators, there are ways to block the service. This requires “a national and European signal,” said Söder.