Germany
Germany’s War on Jokes
A retiree’s sarcastic meme triggered a courtroom saga that feels more dystopian than democratic.
Germany Halts Surveillance of AfD Amid US Pressure and Legal Challenge Over Extremist Label
Berlin hits pause on AfD surveillance as pressure from Washington turns a domestic dispute into a transatlantic standoff.
Slippery Slope to Digital ID? SSA to Launch Digital Social Security Access via “My Social Security” Accounts in Summer 2025
A digital Social Security number inches the US closer to a future where your identity is a login screen away from government hands.
Germany Classifies AfD “Extremist,” Triggering Sweeping Surveillance Powers Amid Political Backlash
Germany’s war on “extremism” now includes spying on its most popular opposition party.
BILD Politics Chief Slams New German Coalition’s Free Speech Crackdown as Establishment’s Bid to Regain Control Over Online Discourse
The state tightens its grip on speech not to protect truth, but to police who gets to speak it.
German Government Proposes Censorship Laws Framed as Protecting Freedom of Opinion, Plans “Independent” Media Authority to Police “Disinformation”
Germany’s new ruling coalition wraps old censorship playbooks in shiny new language about protecting opinion and diversity.
German Journalist David Bendels Sentenced for Satirical Post Targeting Interior Minister Nancy Faeser
German court convicts David Bendels over meme of Nancy Faeser, alarming US free speech advocates amid growing censorship fears.
Germany’s CDU-SPD Coalition Eyes Stricter Online Speech Controls
Germany’s plan to police online speech reads less like policy and more like a control manual in beta.
State-Approved Truth May Be Making a Comeback in Berlin
Germany’s SPD proposes Medieninnovationsfonds as AfD rises and coalition talks weigh public media funding.
Hillary Clinton vs. the “Autocrats” (Except the Ones Throwing Meme Posters in Jail)
While railing against American autocracy, she stood beneath a slogan borrowed from conspiracy lore, in a country where memes get you raided at dawn.
Report Your Family For Wrong Think, Says German Government Initiative
Germany’s Interior Ministry and Family Affairs Ministry launch “Advice Compass on Conspiracy Thinking” to monitor and report citizens’ beliefs.
VP JD Vance Criticizes European Censorship, Calls for Free Speech as Basis for US-Europe Alliances at CPAC
Vance warns European allies that censorship threatens the foundation of Western alliances.