network crime
Faeser: Adjusting sex offender hunting
When prosecuting sex offenders on the Internet, more consideration should be given to private encrypted communication by bystanders. Photo: Sina Schuldt/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
When prosecuting sex offenders online, more consideration must be given to private, protected communication. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser rejects random checks.
According to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the EU Commission’s plans for an intensified hunt for sex offenders on the Internet should be modified.
The idea of the rule of law must be anchored in such a way that private, protected communication also remains protected, said the SPD politician in Wiesbaden during a visit to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). “Together as the EU, we will make providers and platforms responsible so that depictions of abuse are discovered and deleted, the perpetrators are prosecuted and the children are protected.”
Nancy Faeser sees a need for modifications to EU plans
But at the same time it is important to maintain the rule of law balance. “We must not intervene in encrypted private communication and thus hit many people who have nothing to do with these acts,” says Faeser. She rejects checking every private message without cause.
Social networks could be made compulsory
According to the will of the EU Commission, whoever shares photos and videos of sexual abuse of children on the Internet should be made easier in the future. According to a draft law presented in mid-May, providers such as Google or Facebook could be obliged to use software to search their services for corresponding images. In addition, an EU center is to be set up to provide the relevant technology.
Faeser emphasizes that children are the most vulnerable victims in society. Fighting this disgusting form of crime is therefore a top priority for them. The number of cases in connection with depictions of abuse has more than doubled in some cases, also because the pressure to investigate has increased. “No perpetrator should feel safe,” emphasizes the minister.