Overview
- Andreas Voßkuhle renewed his call for a nationwide real-name requirement online, arguing it would curb insults and threats and restore civility.
- Bavaria’s digital minister Fabian Mehring endorsed the idea, saying free speech does not entail anonymity and that offenses must be prosecutable in digital spaces.
- Berlin justice senator Felor Badenberg called for an open, targeted discussion of a naming requirement and for faster identification of suspects in defined cases.
- Reader responses compiled by the Tagesspiegel ranged from support to skepticism, with many urging tougher platform regulation, Digital Services Act enforcement and media literacy over identity mandates.
- Critics cited safety and feasibility concerns, pointing to risks for whistleblowers and minorities, past enforcement gaps such as age checks on porn sites, AI-enabled profiling, and international examples where real-name rules muted dissent.