MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Strong attack on freedom of speech in Germany – P-002212/2024

Priority question for written answer  P-002212/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Alexander Jungbluth (ESN)

In Germany, the non-governmental organisation REspect! recently became the first NGO to be recognised by the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) as a ‘trusted flagger’. According to its president, this state-subsidised NGO is supposed to identify ‘illegal content, hate and fake news’ on social media, with reference to the Digital Services Act, and report it to the platforms responsible, for example X or Facebook[1]. These platforms are ‘obliged to respond immediately to reports from trusted flaggers’ so that the content in question can be removed ‘very quickly and without bureaucratic hurdles’.

Constitutional lawyers have criticised this as manifestly unconstitutional[2].

• 1.What is the Commission’s assessment of these plans to censor content that is not punishable by law?
• 2.How does the Commission view the fact that, according to media reports, the director of REspect!, Ahmad Gaafar, has strong links to radical Islamists such as the Muslim Brotherhood or allies of Hamas[3]?
• 3.When will the Commission present a draft revision of the Digital Services Act to prevent such attacks on freedom of expression based on this law?

Supporters[4]

Submitted: 22.10.2024

• [1] https://www.nius.de/analyse/so-viel-staat-und-geheimdienst-stecken-in-der-neuen-zensur/e6a8bedc-dc70-4e64-be92-1f0d69f0889c.
• [2] https://www.nius.de/articles/experten-warnen-vor-dsa-meldestelle-respect-eine-linke-vorfeldorganisation-die-staatlich-finanziert-wird-wird-dazu-genutzt-buerger-zu-kontrollieren/c1aea09a-a728-41d5-aba6-9db2e5c0c0c4#google_vignette.
• [3] https://www.nius.de/news/trusted-flagger-oberzensor-ahmed-gaafar-loescht-profil-foto-mit-hamas-unterstuetzer/fc683778-98c4-4ee7-98b3-fcfe359d7df3.
• [4] This question is supported by Members other than the author: Petra Steger (PfE), Markus Buchheit (ESN), Irmhild Boßdorf (ESN), Rada Laykova (ESN), Marc Jongen (ESN), Fernand Kartheiser (ECR), Milan Uhrík (ESN), René Aust (ESN), Tom Vandendriessche (PfE), Elisabeth Dieringer (PfE), Hans Neuhoff (ESN), Sebastian Tynkkynen (ECR), Alexander Sell (ESN), Sarah Knafo (ESN), Zsuzsanna Borvendég (ESN), Siegbert Frank Droese (ESN), Mary Khan (ESN), António Tânger Corrêa (PfE)