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Advertising slogan on the website of the social media platform Gab: »Violation of the Network Enforcement Act«
Photo: OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP
The Federal Office of Justice, which is part of the Federal Ministry of Justice, has opened fine proceedings against the social media platform Gab. "The subject of the proceedings is a violation of the Network Enforcement Act," said a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice in response to a request from SPIEGEL. The Federal Office of Justice therefore issued a fine of 30,000 euros at the beginning of August and sent it to the American operators of the company.
The Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) is intended to curb the spread of criminal content on the Internet. Among other things, the law requires social media services to name a contact person in Germany for inquiries from authorities who can be contacted with questions about the deletion of criminal content. According to the Ministry of Justice, the company has violated this obligation for a so-called authorized recipient in Germany.
Gab is an alternative social network that works like a mixture of Twitter and Facebook, which is particularly popular with right-wing extremists, right-wing extremists and supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory in the United States.
On the side there are openly anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and groups that are dedicated to Holocaust denial and that already have this in their name.
The assassin from Pittsburgh is said to have published a kind of attack announcement on Gab shortly before he shot eleven people in the "Tree of Life" synagogue.
Company boss is said to have fueled the storm on the Capitol
After the storm on the Capitol in January 2021, the US organization Anti Defamation League, which campaigns against racism and anti-Semitism, requested an investigation of the site by the US Department of Justice.
On the side, the attackers had exchanged their approach before the storm on the Capitol.
Gab boss Andrew Torba is said to have incited the attackers himself on January 6th by posting slogans from the spectrum of white nationalists on his network.
Torba advertises its platform and company as an "anti-establishment" and "free speech" network.
In a blog post entitled "Germany wants to force Gab to censorship, that will not happen," Torba railed a few days ago against the fine from the German authorities, which he himself had previously published excerpts from.
One is taking action against criminal content, but his company will not bow to state censorship, said Torba.
The Gab boss did not mention that the procedure was apparently only about the appointment of an authorized recipient.
He closed his blog post with a request for donations for an allegedly imminent legal dispute.
In response to a SPIEGEL inquiry with several questions about the process, Torba said: "Germany missed its chance to defend American freedom of speech in 1945."
Gab had objected to the fine, said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Justice.
A spokesman for the authorities did not want to provide any further information on the ongoing proceedings.
The Federal Office of Justice is also taking action against Messenger Telegram
The Federal Office of Justice is apparently tightening its action against alternative platforms that are popular with right-wing extremists this year. The Bonn authority had previously taken action against the Messenger Telegram for violating the Network Enforcement Act.
A fine procedure is also in progress against the messenger, which is officially operating from Dubai.
This is also about the lack of naming a domestic authorized recipient.
Because Telegram - unlike Gab - has more than two million German users according to the Federal Office of Justice, the messenger has to meet other requirements of the NetzDG.
For example, the service should provide special reporting channels for prohibited content.
According to SPIEGEL information, a first letter to Telegram on the matter could not be delivered to a company address of the company.