In Germany monitoring communication and “censorship” of media by government or courts is allowed only in a very restricted manner to gurantee freedom of expression. According to the “Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index”, Germany is currently ranked 18th (USA: 20th) out of 175 countries in the world in terms of press freedom. But: the internet challenges the German laws regarding privacy and the possibility of national law enforcement. Due to political symbolism and helplessness, a tendency can be noted to limit the freedom of internet more than would be considered with regard to classic media.

I was invited by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs to give a lecture on the Internation Blogger Tour about the Legal Framework in Germany. The presentation of my speech can be downloaded here.