https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that the decision by social media giants to permanently suspend Donald Trump's accounts is problematic because freedom of opinion should not be determined by such online platform bosses, her spokesman said Monday. https://www.thelocal.de/20210111/merkel-finds-twitter-halt-of-trump-account-problematic Mon, 11 Jan 2021 14:12:29 +0100 merkel-finds-twitter-halt-of-trump-account-problematic With growing dangers from far-right extremist groups and torrents of threats against politicians, Germany is set to toughen online speech laws and tighten the screws on social networks. https://www.thelocal.de/20200219/germany-to-crack-down-on-online-hate-speech Wed, 19 Feb 2020 09:53:25 +0100 germany-to-crack-down-on-online-hate-speech US President Donald Trump doubled down on Tuesday on the false assertion that immigration is driving up crime in Germany, casting doubt on the country's official statistics. https://www.thelocal.de/20180619/trump-insists-crime-rising-in-germany-questioning-official-data Tue, 19 Jun 2018 19:44:45 +0200 trump-insists-crime-rising-in-germany-questioning-official-data Donald Trump took to Twitter on Monday to fire off two tweets about the “tenuous” state of politics in Germany. Not for the first time, he showed his ignorance of developments in German society. https://www.thelocal.de/20180618/why-trump-is-wrong-again-on-migrants-and-crime-in-germany Mon, 18 Jun 2018 18:17:04 +0200 why-trump-is-wrong-again-on-migrants-and-crime-in-germany Germany lurched into a brief panic on Friday as several media outlets fell for a satirical tweet that claimed Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition had collapsed in a bitter row over immigration. https://www.thelocal.de/20180615/satirical-tweet-about-collapse-of-merkels-coalition-prompts-brief-panic-in-germany Fri, 15 Jun 2018 16:45:32 +0200 satirical-tweet-about-collapse-of-merkels-coalition-prompts-brief-panic-in-germany A leading politician from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party warned Monday that Facebook's dominance makes competition "impossible", joining a broadside against the social network from Berlin. https://www.thelocal.de/20180423/people-should-be-able-to-message-from-facebook-to-twitter-like-with-phone-companies-german-mp Mon, 23 Apr 2018 14:42:57 +0200 people-should-be-able-to-message-from-facebook-to-twitter-like-with-phone-companies-german-mp The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Monday formally cautioned one of its lawmakers over a tweet calling tennis star Boris Becker's son a "little half-negro". https://www.thelocal.de/20180108/far-right-afd-warns-deputy-over-racial-slur-on-boris-beckers-son Mon, 08 Jan 2018 16:25:15 +0100 far-right-afd-warns-deputy-over-racial-slur-on-boris-beckers-son Germany's justice minister fell victim to the rules he himself championed against online social media when one of his tweets was deleted following several complaints, Bild daily reported on Monday. Critics accuse the new law of stifling freedom of speech. https://www.thelocal.de/20180108/justice-minister-falls-victim-to-own-social-media-censorship-law Mon, 08 Jan 2018 12:24:33 +0100 justice-minister-falls-victim-to-own-social-media-censorship-law On January 1st the Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz (network enforcement act) came into force. Germans are furiously debating whether it is a necessary tool against hate speech or a form of censorship. https://www.thelocal.de/20180105/is-a-new-german-law-encouraging-social-media-giants-to-censor-opinions Fri, 05 Jan 2018 15:36:44 +0100 is-a-new-german-law-encouraging-social-media-giants-to-censor-opinions Noah Becker, son of German former tennis star Boris Becker, plans to press charges against a deputy from the far-right AfD party who called him a "little half-negro" on Twitter, Bild daily reported Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20180104/boris-beckers-son-to-press-charges-over-mps-racist-tweet-report Thu, 04 Jan 2018 12:17:55 +0100 boris-beckers-son-to-press-charges-over-mps-racist-tweet-report One of Germany’s most venerable universities is considering the future of a law professor who tweeted solidarity with Polish white nationalists. While the university says it objects to xenophobia, the professor called the accusation of racism 'ridiculous.' https://www.thelocal.de/20171117/law-professor-in-leipzig-stirs-controversy-over-racist-tweets Fri, 17 Nov 2017 12:58:00 +0100 law-professor-in-leipzig-stirs-controversy-over-racist-tweets A Berlin artist is drumming up debate about hate speech and censorship by spray-painting offensive tweets outside the doors of Twitter’s German headquarters. https://www.thelocal.de/20170808/twitter-wouldnt-delete-hateful-tweets-so-this-artist-painted-them-outside-its-office Tue, 08 Aug 2017 19:26:05 +0200 twitter-wouldnt-delete-hateful-tweets-so-this-artist-painted-them-outside-its-office After a shooting at an S-Bahn station near Munich left a policewoman in critical condition, a Pirate Party politician's offensive tweet has caused shock and outcry. https://www.thelocal.de/20170614/outcry-over-politicians-tweet-celebrating-munich-police-woman-getting-shot Wed, 14 Jun 2017 17:03:11 +0200 outcry-over-politicians-tweet-celebrating-munich-police-woman-getting-shot When a man drove a car into a group of pedestrians on Saturday, Twitter trolls demanded to know why police weren’t talking about his ethnicity. Cue a tirade from police on proper rules of investigation. https://www.thelocal.de/20170227/police-earn-praise-for-taking-on-trolls-after-heidelberg-car-attack Mon, 27 Feb 2017 13:22:33 +0100 police-earn-praise-for-taking-on-trolls-after-heidelberg-car-attack "Social Bots" were the sinister cyber friend in the US elections who didn't actually exist. Could they also shape how Germans vote next year? https://www.thelocal.de/20161121/social-bots-robots-germany-elections-future Mon, 21 Nov 2016 11:23:22 +0100 social-bots-robots-germany-elections-future The office of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party mate Bettina Kudla was attacked after she posted a controversial tweet using a Nazi-invented term. https://www.thelocal.de/20161005/cdu-politicians-office-attacked-after-her-nazi-tweet Wed, 05 Oct 2016 12:01:44 +0200 cdu-politicians-office-attacked-after-her-nazi-tweet Statistics show that unlike other industrial nations, more highly-educated Germans avoid social networks than people with little or no education. The Local uncovers the facts behind the figures. https://www.thelocal.de/20151222/why-do-educated-germans-avoid-twitter Tue, 22 Dec 2015 15:17:45 +0100 why-do-educated-germans-avoid-twitter Germany announced a deal Tuesday with social network giants Facebook, Twitter and Google to clamp down on hate speech, with the Internet companies pledging to remove offending posts within 24 hours. https://www.thelocal.de/20151215/internet-giants-pledge-to-battle-online-hate-speech Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:21:00 +0100 internet-giants-pledge-to-battle-online-hate-speech German teen magazine BRAVO sparked outrage across the internet this week after publishing a "sexist" and "outdated" list of flirting tips for young girls. https://www.thelocal.de/20150716/teen-mag-slammed-for-telling-girls-how-to-flirt Thu, 16 Jul 2015 18:30:46 +0200 teen-mag-slammed-for-telling-girls-how-to-flirt German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the only G7 leader not to have a Twitter account, according to a report on the social network released on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20150428/merkel-lags-behind-in-social-media-use-twitter-twiplomacy Tue, 28 Apr 2015 10:56:18 +0200 merkel-lags-behind-in-social-media-use-twitter-twiplomacy