Overview
- Stefanie Hubig stated she opposes a state‑imposed real‑name rule, arguing people may speak anonymously while criminal posts remain prosecutable after the fact.
- North Rhine-Westphalia’s Benjamin Limbach and Lower Saxony’s Kathrin Wahlmann also opposed the idea, warning it is easy to evade, chills speech and would burden law‑abiding users.
- FDP parliamentary leader Christian Dürr criticized a mandate as dangerous to a free internet, noting anonymity protects minorities, the politically persecuted and others with legitimate reasons.
- Support persists at the state level: Bavaria’s Digital Minister Fabian Mehring backs a legal duty for clear names to deter hate and enable identification, and Berlin justice senator Felor Badenberg seeks an open but focused debate.
- The legal and practical feasibility remains contested, with ex‑court president Andreas Voßkuhle calling a mandate constitutionally permissible as critics cite free‑speech and privacy risks, data‑security concerns and argue for platform enforcement under the Digital Services Act.