Germany, “epicentre of a digital control apparatus”

German government supports organizations that search for prohibited opinions on the internet and virtual communication networks

In Germany, around 325 organizations are engaged in tracking down and reporting “prohibited” expressions of opinion on the internet and virtual communication networks. Most of these organizations receive financial support from the German government. This is according to a study by the US organization Liber-net, which advocates for freedom of expression in the digital space. According to Liber-net, Germany is the “epicentre” of an ever-growing censorship apparatus in Europe.

On November 13, 2025, at 6 a.m., the doorbell rang at the apartment of Damian N. (pseudonym) in the medium-sized German city of Ulm. The intercom announced: “Police, please open the door.” Officers entered the apartment, confiscated the man’s cell phone, and took him to the police station. There, Damian had to undergo a complete identity check; his biometric data was recorded, and he was asked to give a blood sample – “for your DNA,” he was told. He refused.

What was Damian N. accused of? According to Apollo News, which reported on the case, he had posted the following text on X: “No, people who are paid by the state do not pay net tax. They live off taxes. This applies to every civil servant, every politician, every employee of a state-owned enterprise, everyone who is subsidized and financed by the state. Not a single parasite pays net tax.” Because of this post, he was accused by the police of “incitement to hatred” or “hate speech.” Damian was allowed to leave, but a civil servant warned him: “In the future, think carefully about what you post on virtual communication platforms. You are being watched.”

The case of Damian N. is not an isolated one. Anyone who criticizes the state in Germany runs the risk of being arrested. This is often followed by fines or even prison sentences. Many proceedings are based on the NetzDG law of 2017, which prohibits hate speech, insults against persons, religions or ideologies, and incitement to violence, as well as on Section 188 of the German Criminal Code, which makes “insulting politicians” a criminal offense.

According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, there are around 250,000 reports of possible NetzDG violations each year, leading to around 150,000 prosecutions per year. In addition, according to the central reporting system of the Federal Criminal Police Office, more than 3,500 people were prosecuted in 2024 on the basis of Section 188. In practice, the NetzDG is now increasingly being replaced by the EU Digital Services Act, which is structured according to similar logic.

The fact that so many people are being prosecuted is explained by the fact that a very large censorship and reporting system has been established in Germany in recent years. This is according to a new report by Liber-net, led by Andrew Lowenthal, who had previously investigated the US censorship complex network. Liber-net spent six months researching the issue together with German experts and concluded that around 325 organizations are active in Germany to report undesirable statements on the internet and virtual communication platforms.

Liber-net writes that Germany has become the “epicentre of a bureaucratized digital control apparatus” over the past ten years. The state uses private companies and NGOs as “investigative arms,” often financed by the state. The result is a censorship system whose reach exceeds the traditional limits of state action.

As a practical example, the report cites the “Demokratie leben!” (Live Democracy!) program of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth. It has an annual budget of 200 million euros and targets “extremist content,” “conspiracy theories,” and “pro-Russian propaganda.” Another example is the organization HateAid, which receives millions in funding and uses these funds primarily to support left-wing politicians who track down statements made by politicians from the right-wing AfD party and report them to the authorities.

Among the most prominent cases of censorship in recent years, the report cites the criminal prosecution of US satirist C. J. Hopkins. In 2023, he published satirical tweets comparing the covid policies of then-Health Minister Lauterbach to Nazism. The public prosecutor’s office considered this to be “spreading Nazi propaganda.” In 2024, after a lengthy trial, Hopkins was acquitted on appeal. But recently, on November 26, 2025, the police were back at his door, searching his apartment and confiscating his computer.

He is again accused of spreading Nazi propaganda – this time, the public prosecutor’s office is targeting his book The Rise of the New Normal Reich: Consent Factory Essays, Vol. III (2020–2021). As in his tweets, he compares covid policies to Nazism in the book.

yogaesoteric
January 13, 2026