@radioclash

a) I don't see how being #gendercritical is necessarily "anti-rights". What rights are they against? And are those actual rights or just privileges?

b) It seems that Amnesty caved to legal pressure from the GC orgs. It's a sad day for #freespeech, even if I agree ideologically with the censors to some degree. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

🇩🇪 Is Germany suffering from a kind of Stockholm syndrome?

What I find alarming , since 2019, more people- mindest ❓❓

To me, fascism begins the moment people demand that their political opponents be banned.

🗯️ “It seems that way.”

#FreeSpeech #PoliticalDebate #Democracy

Fact check: Is Germany really cracking down on free speech and being investigated by the United Nations because of it?

The US-based nonprofit Privacy Guides recently covered in their podcast “This Week in Privacy“ episode 64 an article titled “Inside the dystopian world of Germany’s free speech crackdown” from UK-based publisher The Telegraph. The co-host (Nate) read off the notes while covering the story and said the original article is "definitely worth a read. Lots of good stuff in there.”

Disclaimer: This fact-check has been written on a best-effort basis with the time and resources available to me. I would have liked to dig deeper into the sources I’ve linked, the claims made, and the original article, but my current circumstances don’t allow for such a large-scale investigation. In contrast to Privacy Guides, which is funded by many supporters, Voxel is a single person who tries his best to educate people about data protection and cybersecurity and to fight for a better future with no funding whatsoever. If you find something that is inaccurate, please feel free to kindly correct me in the comments, I will adjust it ASAP.

I’ll cover the claims made in the episode and debunk them chronologically.

The first claim is about Rainer Zitelmann who, according to them, had been accused of violating § 86a StGB, which bans the display of Nazi symbols, slogans, and imagery, and could now face three years in prison if found guilty. He found out the offending social media post was a meme about Adolf Hitler, but it was one in which he compared the Nazi dictator and his invasion of Czechoslovakia to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. I found news coverage from other sources that paints a similar picture, but was unable to independently verify R. Zitelmann’s claims.

All following quotes are by Nate from Privacy Guides (source) if not marked otherwise.

So basically, like, I'm saying Hitler is bad. Why is this? Yeah.

Objectively misrepresents the case and makes it seem as if Germany would fight negative speech about Hitler.

(…) is one of thousands of Germans who have been threatened with fines or prison sentences for social media posts that fall afoul of the country's political speech laws, which are unusually stringent for an EU member state.

Neither Privacy Guides nor the original article provides a source for this data. I was unable to find information about this.

They went on to cover the “Schwachkopf” (can be roughly translated as “weak head” in the cognitive/intellectual sense) case. They claim that the person who called Robert Habeck “Schwachkopf” got his home “raided.” This is false; the supposed raid was actually a search warrant to seize evidence. The accused voluntarily handed over the tablet used in the crime to officers; consequently, further measures were waived, not least for reasons of proportionality. So no actual home search was conducted.

In the case of the “Lügenfritz” (can be roughly translated to “lying Fritz”) insult, Nate says that the accused was fined two thousand euros. This is theoretically false. The court issued a fine of 30 days’ income. I was unable to find source that provides information on how much the accused earned. The accused didn’t object the ruling.

The number of investigations under Section 86a, the Nazi symbol ban that Dr. Z was investigated for has more than doubled over the past decade according to official police statistics. Investigations into the political insult law also reached a record level in 2025.

Neither Privacy Guides nor the original article provides a source for this data. I was unable to find information about this.

In one recent case, a pensioner was investigated under Section 188 for posting Pinocchio is coming on Facebook after he learned that Frederick Mertz, the chancellor, was visiting his hometown.

This is true, but the investigations were closed, “because this is a form of criticism of power covered by freedom of expression and is therefore permissible“ (automated translation). The original article and Nate fail to mention that.

In 2021, police raided a man's apartment in Hamburg after he told a senator, you're such a d***.

That is partially true; his apartment was searched. I don’t think this is equal to being “raided,” but the original article, as well as Nate, fail to mention that the apartment search was deemed illegal by the court.

The surge in cases is so vast that the U.N. has launched an investigation into free speech violations in Germany, a step typically reserved for dictatorships and banana republics. (…) So and Germany needs to figure out what they're doing if they're getting investigated by the UN. I think that's pretty wild.

This is completely false. This misinformation was taken from the original article, which provides no source whatsoever. What is true, but wasn’t mentioned in the episode, is that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Ms. Irene Khan, undertook an official country visit to Germany to examine, in the spirit of cooperation and dialogue, the situation of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression in the country. But it’s important to highlight that (emphasis added):

Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.

German free speech activists on the left and right, as well as the Trump administration, have also raised the alarm, and there are growing calls from some of the country's stricter laws to be scrapped.

No sources provided, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there are some people who do. I can’t comment on the Trump administration.

The fur bears some similarities to the speech debate in Britain, where citizens have a knock on the door from police over opinions posted online.

I believe this is an extreme exaggeration and misrepresentation of the current situation based on the data provided.

Conclusion: Privacy Guides seemingly did not verify the integrity of the article and the information they took from it and shared in their podcast. They spread lots of misinformation about Germany’s current status, left out important information, and even claimed that the UN would be investigating Germany for free speech violations.

My opinion: In addition to the conclusion above, I would like to point out that the article seems to be highly politically motivated and appears to manipulate readers through disinformation into specific beliefs; that Privacy Guides used the article without seemingly noticing this highly political intention behind it, and did not verify the integrity of the information provided, is very concerning. My appeal to Privacy Guides would be: accuracy over quantity. Covering more articles at the cost of the integrity of the information provided causes a lot of harm and allows misinformation to spread even further than it otherwise would. Privacy Guides also makes it very hard to investigate and check the integrity of the sources yourself, as they’re not provided or linked in the show notes of the podcast, and you have to manually go to their website, search for the blog entry for the podcast, and find the sources there; I believe putting the sources directly in the show notes allows for a healthier information flow and empowers listeners to investigate themselves.

@privacy @privacyguides @jonah @nateb #privacyguides #germany #freespeech #factcheck #privacy #Politics

The #SCREENAct is a Christian Nationalist Nightmare

https://www.404media.co/what-is-the-screen-act-age-verification-porn/

#privacy #AgeVerification #FreeSpeech

A UK appeals court rules that Zionism can correctly be described as racist, colonial & imperialistic...

... as an ideology that supports the migration of members of one group "into the territory with the support of an imperial power to dislodge an indigenous population."

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-appeals-court-upholds-anti-zionist-beliefs-protected-under-equality-law

#UKPol #USPol #EUPol #zionism #racism #news #palestine #freespeech .

A follow-up article from Jessica Washington at @theintercept illuminates the blatant 1st Amendment violations and cynical allegations made by the Oregon Department of Corrections against Malik that resulted in their secretive transfer to South Carolina.

Of note is how the prison flagged Malik's criticism of the state of Israel in its misconduct report, showing how ODOC punishes political speech inside.

https://theintercept.com/2026/08/04/malik-muhammad-black-lives-matter-prison-transfer/

https://archive.ph/slK1F

As ever, you can read Malik's full writings and updates at:
https://malikspeaks.noblogs.org/

#FreeMalik #Oregon #Prison #Repression #Rights #FreeSpeech #Israel

A UK appeals court win for free speech, namely a ruling that Zionism can correctly be described as racist, colonial & imperialistic...

... as an ideology that supports the migration of members of one group "into the territory with the support of an imperial power to dislodge an indigenous population."

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-appeals-court-upholds-anti-zionist-beliefs-protected-under-equality-law

#UKPol #USPol #EUPol #zionism #racism #news #palestine #freespeech .

The #Senate Should Reject KOSA's #Privacy Risks

The Senate Commerce Committee is once again considering legislation that would dramatically expand age verification, and undermine privacy for everyone. Alongside the #SCREENAct , the #CHATBOT Act, and the Youth #AI Privacy Act, the Kids Online Safety Act (#KOSA ) would push companies to collect more information about their users while creating new incentives to restrict lawful speech.
#freespeech #ageverification

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/senate-should-reject-kosas-privacy-risks

The SCREEN Act is a #ChristianNationalist Nightmare

On Wednesday morning, Ted Cruz’s Senate #CommerceCommittee will convene on five bills aimed at age verification and “child safety.” The bills each have their own issues when it comes to #privacy , data collection, parental rights, and free speech. But one bill, the partisan #Republican SCREEN Act, is a Christian nationalist nightmare.
#screenact #tedcruz #ageverification #parentalrights #freespeech

https://www.404media.co/what-is-the-screen-act-age-verification-porn/

#Trump claimed he would 'bring free speech back” [but seriously, let’s be real, it was always his version of #FreeSpeech] - yet Judges have ruled in 75 cases that he has stifled the #FirstAmendment .

#law #gaslighting #propaganda #Trumpaganda #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #MafiaState #tyranny
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-vowed-bring-free-speech-back-judges-75-cases-ruled-that-he-has-stifled-it-2026-08-04/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

Why Italian protesters face growing fines and restrictions  | Focus on Europe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApZ-B_W9Kas

#Authoritarianism #Italy #FreeSpeech #Protest #ClimateEmergency

Vietnam: 5 Arrested for Ho Chi Minh Book | Human Rights Watch

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/21/vietnam-5-arrested-for-ho-chi-minh-book

> [The retired provincial Communist Party official Phan Trung Can] focused on the book’s use of contemporary language as insufficiently reverential toward Ho Chi Minh and called for the book to be destroyed

It wasn't even actually disrespectful, just "insufficiently reverential". And that's why all this happened? Jeez, Vietnam is an authoritarian country.

#Vietnam #VNpol #freespeech #humanrights

RE: https://mastox.eu/@mehdirhasan/117009946780738009

While nazis run round the country starting fights and trying to burn people out of their homes are called 'activists' people like this man are called 'terrorists'

How long does Andy Burnham think he can run from this issue? Will he carry on the mistakes of the previous guy?

#PalestineAction #AndyBurnham #Terrorism #Genocide #FreeSpeech #Protest #DefendOurJuries #SirJonathonPorritt

5th Circuit blocks #Texas law requiring websites to filter “harmful” speech

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/5th-circuit-blocks-texas-law-requiring-websites-to-filter-harmful-speech/

#FreeSpeech #privacy #AgeVerification

@internetarchive
So, why do you memoryhole political blogs you disagree with such as https://archive.is/moreright.net? How can we argue against bad ideas if we can't even hear them?

#freespeech #deaddogma

Alt...

Internet Archive Wayback Machine [In search bar:] moreright.net Sorry. This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine.

Inside the dystopian world of #Germany’s #FreeSpeech crackdown

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/20/germany-europe-free-speech-crisis-rainer-zitelmann-afd/

#privacy

A quotation not from Voltaire

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
(Spurious)

More about this misquote: wist.info/voltaire/34462/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #voltaire #defense #freepress #freespeech #freedomofexpression #freedomofspeech #freedomofthepress #integrity #principle #selfsacrifice

#Trump Admin [finally] Drops [illegal] Subpoena Demanding #List of #Jews From #Penn

For more than a year, the Trump admin pressed the #university for records about #antisemitism complaints & a list of campus groups involved with #Judaism.

#law #AcademicFreedom #privacy #FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/us/eeoc-subpoena-penn-jewish-list.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

"In September, Henry Holt & Company’s Metropolitan Books imprint will publish Khalil’s memoir, #NoLandToStandOn, giving readers a window into the 104 days he spent in #ICEdetention, and the relationships he formed with his fellow inmates."

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/100890-how-holt-finished-mahmoud-khalil-s-no-land-to-stand-on-in-just-six-months.html
#MahmoudKhalil #USpol #stateRepression #immigrantDetention #FreeSpeech #studentProtests #Palestine #Gaza #PalestineSolidarity #memoirs #books @bookstodon

"Free Speech" to the Tech Bros means "Free Speech for Me, Nazis and Peados...nobody else"

Mullvad isn't fooling anyone who doesn't want to be fooled

Sick of creepy gatekeeping males wallowing in their depraved filth like they're fighting for everyone's freedom....it's such white bullshit.

Argue all you want you fucking incels, nobody is ever going to touch your dick without money changing hands, you're loveless and repellent, not 'heroes'

#FreeSpeech #TechBros #Whiteness #MullvadVPN

"#PENAmerica’s president has resigned after the #freespeech group released a report detailing how #Israeli and #Jewish #writers have faced “rising isolation and exclusion” in the aftermath of 2023’s #Oct7 attacks in #Israel and the subsequent war in #Gaza.

The #Ethiopian #novelist #DinawMengestu had held the organization’s leadership position since December 2025. He told The #NewYorkTimes that Pen America’s report, which examines the impacts of cultural boycotts, unfairly maligns the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, an attempt to economically isolate Israel.

The July 9 report, titled “A Silent Moratorium,” was the work of three #authors. They include PEN America’s editorial director #LisaTolin, a veteran of #NBCNews and the #AssociatedPress, as well as its chief communications officer #GeraldineBaum, a longtime former staff #writer for #TheLosAngelesTimes who earned a #Pulitzer Prize for Public Service early in her career at #Newsday."

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/pen-america-report-jewish-writers-president-resigns-1236646474/

Government-mandated gatekeepers have no place between Americans and lawful speech. CCIA’s Fifth Circuit brief argues Texas’ SB2420 imposes unconstitutional barriers to lawful speech by requiring age verification, parental consent, and compelled age ratings. Americans shouldn’t have to surrender their #privacy or show ID to access lawful information online. Free expression includes both the right to speak and the right to receive information. #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech https://ccianet.org/news/2026/06/ccia-files-brief-arguing-that-texas-app-store-law-likely-violates-first-amendment/

#ICE’s Internal Watchdog Is Now Investigating Online Critics

https://www.wired.com/story/ices-internal-watchdog-is-now-investigating-online-critics/

#privacy #surveillance #FreeSpeech #politics #DHS

Section 230 remains a cornerstone of a safer, more open internet. In a joint amicus brief with @NetChoice and @EFF, CCIA argues that federal law protects online services’ editorial decisions and enables platforms to remove harmful content while preserving free expression. #Section230 #FreeSpeech Read more: https://ccianet.org/news/2026/07/ccia-files-joint-brief-on-internet-content-and-federal-legal-protections/

Online safety should be advanced through parental empowerment, education, and safety-by-design, not by allowing the government to decide which lawful voices young people can hear. #FreeSpeech Read more: https://ccianet.org/articles/floridas-hb3-violates-the-first-amendment-by-singling-out-social-media-sites/
2/2

@rysiek Also, dear @mullvadnet, you of all companies should know that you don't get to pick-and-choose the human rights you like and to whom they can apply. Your CEO (and in extension the company) is either supporting *all* human rights universally for *all people*, including the right to asylum and to live free of discrimination, or you don't support them at all.

You can't just support #privacy and #FreeSpeech, shit on the rest and claim to be pro-human rights.

Four Years After #Dobbs, Anti-Abortion Lawmakers Keep Coming for Online Speech

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/four-years-after-dobbs-anti-abortion-lawmakers-keep-coming-online-speech

#privacy #abortion #RoeVWade #FreeSpeech

From pamphlets and town squares to smartphones and online communities, the principle remains the same: free people should be free to speak, share ideas, and access information without government interference. As America celebrates 250 years, the First Amendment's promise lives on in the digital public square. #America250 #FreeSpeech

This EPPC blog causes the Device-level age verification movements to spread. So it must be reported to the constituents like us because it affects the #FirstAmendment ( #freespeech) and the #FourthAmendment ( #Privacy)

Thanks to the Conservative Ladies of #America for providing us this information.
https://eppc.org/publication/american-style-age-verification/

#ABC viewers across the country are getting a message from the network—If you like your #local stations, or #TheView, help us get the #government off our backs.

ABC on Monday launched an on-air campaign asking viewers to send comments to the #FCC’s website pushing back on the agency & its chairman, #BrendanCarr.


#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #Trump #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #censorship #propaganda #trumpaganda

Since February, the #FCC has been investigating whether ABC’s #TheView violated the commission’s equal-time rule, which guarantees equal airtime to all candidates running for the same public office. #ABC has maintained that “The View” qualifies as what the commission calls a “bona fide” news program & is exempt from the rule, accusing the FCC of violating the #FirstAmendment in a legal filing.

#law #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #Trump #authoritarianism #dictatorship #fascism #censorship