Does the German Internet Law Portend Problems for the Rest of the Free World?

Is the law passed, but not yet implemented, in Germany, concerning the access to the internet, something that is a local anomaly, or should we be worried that it is something that will bolster those who would abridge our rights, first on the internet, and then in the physical world?

No doubt things that happen in cyberspace can have great affects, both good and detrimental, on the physical. However, in many cases, the ease with which the perceived injustice, or wrongdoing, can be dealt with by a simple flip of a switch or click of a mouse should mean that a much higher tolerance level would apply to those who might annoy or threaten.

The thing about the infringement of rights is that once it starts, it is like a virus, that spreads indiscriminately, and is difficult to stop. Perhaps that is why groups concerned with freedom (such as the ACLU) are so intent on the quick and certain control of anything that will impinge on personal rights.

Germany, from my limited searching, seems to have no such groups, and in many ways allows infringing on personal rights because of the outrageous changes that came about before World War II. It seems as though I see problems with personal rights in Germany at least several times per year, as chronicled on the PBS program European Journal. It is as if the people there want to rein in anything that might be considered out of the mainstream, to the point that people have freedoms stifled or removed that we, in the United States, would give not one thought.

A small notice in Slashdot speaks of the upcoming changes.

“It’s only been a few weeks since the law dubbed Zugangserschwerungsgesetz (access impediment law) was passed in the German Parliament despite over 140,000 signatures of people opposed to it. The law will go into effect in mid-October 2009. Now Minister for Family Affairs Ursula von der Leyen implied in an interview that she is planning on extending the reach of the law, claiming ‘…or else the great Internet is in danger of turning into a lawless range of chaos, where you’re allowed to bully, insult, and deceive limitlessly.’ More on golem.de via Google translate (here is the German original).”

We should remember that, in this country, it has been estimated that for each person that will step up and sign a petition, approximately 15 people feel similarly, but wish to avoid getting involved, with something as small as their signature. I wonder how many people were against this new German law, yet would not step up, for fear of being publicly ridiculed or ostracized.

In order for evil to triumph…

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