The Local Germany

Coronavirus pandemic: German schools lagging behind on digital learning

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 11:07:56 +0200

Schools in Germany had a harder transition to online teaching during the coronavirus crisis compared to several other countries.

German court fines Facebook over hate speech action failings

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 17:46:16 +0200

A German court on Tuesday fined Facebook two million euros for not being transparent enough over the action it is taking to curb online hate speech.

Police smash Germany's biggest online drug market

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 14:12:55 +0200

German authorities said Friday they took down the country's largest internet marketplace for narcotics and arrested 11 suspects from Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.

'Cyber-grooming': Germany toughens law on online predators

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 17:38:47 +0200

German ministers on Wednesday agreed to toughen the law on so-called "cyber-grooming" of prospective victims by predators, making illegal even attempts to communicate online with a child for sexual purposes.

Virtual museum to immerse worldwide audience in history of German migration

Wed, 30 May 2018 16:25:20 +0200

Few issues are as controversial in Germany today as immigration. Why do foreigners come here? Why do they leave? Questions like these can be explored soon at a museum which has no exhibition rooms.

Five years' jail for German darknet weapons dealer

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 15:28:17 +0200

One of Germany's most prolific covert weapons traders was sentenced to five and a half years in jail on Thursday, having sold enough weapons to equip "a small army", the presiding judge said.

Microsoft entrusts users' private data to Germany

Wed, 11 Nov 2015 16:09:07 +0100

US tech giant Microsoft has put new data centres in Germany under the control of Deutsche Telekom, the companies said on Wednesday, in a move that will keep privacy-sensitive Germans' customer data in the country.

Could Europe have ‘border-less’ internet?

Wed, 06 May 2015 19:37:48 +0200

The European Commission presented a plan for making the internet and digital content more ‘border-free’ on Wednesday, suggesting ways to loosen up restrictions that often see music, movies and other services blocked when users travel across borders. But could such a plan succeed?

Not your usual job website

Tue, 13 Jan 2015 16:36:00 +0100

In our weekly feature series, The Local looks into a successful entrepreneur's life - the story behind their successes, major challenges and how being an entrepreneur changed them forever. This week, Sparsh Sharma talks to Robin Eric Haak, founder and COO of Berlin-based Jobspotting.

Blog outing online racists causes a stir

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 12:10:00 +0100

A blog which posts pictures and names of internet users who make racist comments online has caused a stir in Germany and has had its Facebook page shut. Is it going too far?

Hackers access 16 million email accounts

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 13:38:00 +0100

Millions of Germans have had their passwords and usernames for websites stolen, the country’s Federal Office for Online Security (BSI) revealed on Tuesday.

Top-selling 'Bild' tabloid to slash staff figures

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:31:00 +0200

Top German tabloid Bild could cut up to 200 jobs at its print edition to make savings worth €20 million, it emerged on Saturday. Planned restructuring could force some print edition staff to accept less favourable conditions.

Sportswear giants 'cutting off' discounters

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:49:00 +0200

Major sportswear companies who cut off dealers who sell their products cheaply online have come to the attention of German competition authorities.

Fraunhofer warns Adobe Flash can be used as PC spying tool

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:29:00 +0200

The popular program Adobe Flash Player can be used to take over another person’s computer and spy through their camera and microphone, researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute have discovered.

German woman rescued from New Zealand 'horror house'

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:54:00 +0100

A Leipzig woman flew to New Zealand hoping to find love with a 33-year-old PhD student she had met online, but found an old man living in a “horror house” instead, New Zealand paper Otago Daily Times reported on Tuesday.

German high court blocks data collection

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:28:00 +0100

Germany's Constitutional Court on Wednesday blocked substantial parts of a data-collection law meant to fight terrorism.

Ebay faces user boycott

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:57:00 +0100

German users of online auction house Ebay are planning to boycott the site in protest of changes to its rating system. More than 5,000 users have already added themselves to the list of sellers who will not use Ebay between the 18th and 25th of February. Germany is the second most important market for Ebay.