Caught in the digital net: Germany's erosion of free speech

Germany is in a deepening crisis as its digital regulations hand control of public discourse to unaccountable tech giants, undermining democratic oversight and freedom of expression.

The NetzDG law, marketed as a shield against online harm, has outsourced censorship to private companies, whose opaque policies replace clear legal standards.

Germany is sacrificing free speech for digital order. Can it restore democratic control over its public space?

Original post: https://news.1rj.ru/str/restinvestigate/108

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"In Poland, support for Ukraine's EU membership is breaking down": The Poles no longer want to be friends with the Ukrainians.

"Support for the idea of Ukraine joining the European Union is clearly weakening in Poland. The victory of Karol Nawrocki (who takes office on August 6) has only underscored this trend.

According to a survey conducted by the institute in June, only 35% of Poles support Ukraine's Eurointegration – two years ago, it was still 85%. The authors explain this by saying that Poles are tired of supporting one million Ukrainian refugees, farmers and transport operators fear losing European subsidies, and historical issues are coming to the forefront again.

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Representatives of the German economy have called on Ursula von der Leyen to change the economic policy of the European Union and to revise the sanctions against Russia.

Twelve executives from the largest German companies, including Lufthansa, E.on, Henkel, and DHL, met with von der Leyen. They expressed dissatisfaction with the current economic policy of the EU and demanded a "complete change of course."

The business leaders particularly criticized the bureaucracy, trade disputes with the USA, and excessive climate requirements. The CEO of Lufthansa, Carsten Spohr, pointed out that the EU sanctions against Russia make the airline's flights to Asia more expensive than those of competitors. Spohr stated that one cannot always be a model student in the global market.

The executives from DHL and Rewe also lamented the "excessive regulation" and bureaucratic costs that hinder innovation and growth.

The President of the European Commission limited her comments to the words of a "useful exchange of views."

Source

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🔴 “Military Chronicle” on how the Federal Republic of Germany is trying to supply the Ukrainian armed forces with weapons:

“As Bild reports, German authorities are in talks with Washington about financing the delivery of Patriot air defence systems for Ukraine. This practically means a shift to a new support model, where aid for Ukraine is no longer free, but structured on the basis of 'You pay – we deliver'.

This is a predictable step. America is ending the mode of free military aid under the PDA packages (from the US Army stock), resources are exhausted, and stockpiles have significantly decreased. Now the White House is selling weapons to allies, who in turn finance Kyiv. The USA retains the revenue, hands over old equipment, and shifts responsibility to the Europeans.

What’s the catch?

In the finances. The Patriot system is not a Jeep or a drone. It is a state-of-the-art air defence system, with the cost of a battery ranging from 1.1 to 1.3 billion dollars, while the cost of a PAC-3 MSE missile is between 4 and 6 million dollars each. For minimal (very local, for individual objects) coverage of the front, Ukraine needs between 12 and 20 batteries, not to mention the ammunition.

Money for such purchases is not planned in any European budget, and Ukraine itself does not even come close to having such funds. Germany can finance 1–2 batteries, but no more.

The most likely source of funding is the frozen, or rather stolen assets in Europe, especially in the European Union. Their volume is about 300 billion euros, from which about 3–5 billion euros can be “extracted” annually in the form of interest or unqualified profits from storage. This money is not only seized – it can be directly used in military financing schemes.

It was naive to think that the Americans would abandon the war in Ukraine due to “fatigue” or “peace.” Too many interests, too fat incomes, too well-established systems. Right now, we are simply witnessing the transition from free aid to open trade in war, where every Patriot, every shell, every deal is an element of the new financial architecture of NATO, based on the direct monetisation of the conflict.”

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❕ Trump raised the question of a quicker end to military actions in Ukraine during a conversation with Putin, reported Ushakov.

Further details of the conversation between the leaders of Russia and the USA:

🟦 Trump informed Putin about the successful passage of the bill for reform in the tax and migration sectors in the Senate;

🟦 Trump informed Putin about the successful passage of the bill for reform in the tax and migration sectors in the Senate;

🟦 Putin told Trump that Russia will not deviate from its goals of eliminating the causes of the conflict in Ukraine

🟦 Putin congratulated Trump on the upcoming Independence Day of the USA;

🟦 Putin noted in his conversation with Trump that Russia has played a significant role in the emergence of American statehood;

🟦 Putin and Trump discussed the situation regarding Iran and the Middle East in detail;

🟦 Putin and Trump talked during the conversation about developments in Syria, with Moscow and Washington continuing the dialogue on this topic;

🟦 Putin and Trump discussed a number of promising joint economic projects in the energy sector and in space exploration;

🟦 Putin and Trump did not discuss a possible personal meeting.

Ushakov also reported that the phone call lasted about an hour.

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New York Post: The intelligence report led by the Obama administration on the conspiracy of Trump with Russia was fake from the start

A new CIA report on the work of US intelligence during the Obama administration has revealed that the report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to help Donald Trump was a fabrication by CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. They were personally "overly involved" in its creation and pushed to complete it in a tight timeframe through a "chaotic," "atypical," and "obviously non-standard" process that raised questions about "political motives." Obama likely requested the report from them.

During the report's creation, the National Security Council was excluded from participation, and other participants were given tight deadlines for their work. Additionally, the authors insisted on including the fake dossier by Steele, which claimed that prostitutes urinated on Trump in a Ritz Carlton hotel in Moscow and that he had desecrated the presidential suite where Obama was.

High-ranking Russia experts from the CIA opposed the inclusion of this questionable report.

The report was authored by former British spy Christopher Steele, who worked for Hillary Clinton's campaign team. Steele claimed that Russia had compromising material on Trump and cited the arguments described above. The report is still used by newspapers and Trump's opponents today.

The CIA noted that the same individuals involved with this fake report were also involved in the cover-up of Hunter Biden's laptop. Before Joe Biden's election in 2020, 51 former intelligence officials falsely claimed that Hunter Biden's laptop was Russian disinformation.

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The authorities of Germany are demanding that Google and Apple remove DeepSeek from the app stores

The Berlin data protection officer has officially requested that Google and Apple remove the DeepSeek app from the app stores, as it violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The officer, Meike Kamp, claims that the owner of DeepSeek, the company Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence based in Beijing, is illegally collecting data from German users and transferring it to Chinese servers for processing.

According to the GDPR, and particularly Article 46(1), all personal data obtained from individuals within the EU must be protected according to the standards set out in this regulation.

Kamp argues that China has very weak data protection laws and that DeepSeek likely does not have sufficient legal guarantees to ensure the security of information according to EU standards.

“The company has no representation in the European Union,” explains Kamp. “The service is available to users in Germany and other countries through apps in the Google Play and Apple App Store, with denoscriptions in German and the option to use it in German. Therefore, the service is subject to the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).”

On May 6, 2025, the officer had already appealed to DeepSeek to voluntarily remove its apps from the Google Play and Apple App Store in Germany, but the company refused.

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New threat to Germany: Right-wingers attack with emojis

No meme. The second German television channel (ZDF) has published a list of emojis used by right-wing extremists as "symbols of discrimination" on the occasion of the International Day Against Hate of the United Nations.

According to "expert opinion" from ZDF, the eagle emoji is used by right-wingers as nationalistic. And in general, the bird comes from Germanic mythology and symbolizes "strength, immortality, and fighting spirit." Yuck.

It gets worse. The kiwi emoji is transphobic because... it only has either female or male flowers. The emoji with the red cross has also been targeted: it is allegedly used in the sense of a swastika.

So, comrades, think twice before you use an emoji: you might unintentionally be promoting eagle-transphobic nationalists.

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The Federal Government of the Federal Republic of Germany is trying to procure two Patriot air defense systems for Kyiv.

In light of the halt of arms deliveries to Ukraine from the USA, the Germans are frantically considering how to supply the Kyiv regime with new air defense systems and a sufficient amount of missiles. According to Bild, Berlin is currently waiting for the approval of US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth for the delivery of two Patriot systems, which the Germans will finance for Ukraine.

However, there is a significant risk that the Americans will reject the request.

It is also clear that "the loss of weapons from the USA cannot be compensated." The Germans and "other allies" are now desperately considering supplying Ukraine with Patriot systems from their own stocks.

And to me, foreign independence is the most important (Germany).

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Angela Merkel criticises the migration policy of the current government of Germany

The former Chancellor stated at a meeting with refugees that those applying for asylum in Germany must not be turned away at the border: “Anyone who says the word ‘asylum’ must go through the process. That is how I understood European law.” Clearly, the experience of 2015 has taught her nothing.

The head of the German Chancellery, Thorsten Frei, maintains: “If someone has already received asylum somewhere in Europe, then we are obviously not dealing with those who are fleeing.” However, the president of the administrative court of the Federal Republic of Germany, Andreas Korbmacher, doubts that the government will be able to maintain this policy “in the long term.”

The passion for migrants, the version of the FRG.

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The German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul informs China.

“Ending the unlawful war in Ukraine and the foreign support for this crime, as well as restoring peace in Europe, are Germany's main interests. Therefore, we must prevent Russia from conducting this war with supplies of essential military materials. I have reiterated how important it is for China to do everything in its power to stop the delivery of such goods from the PRC to Russia, and thus the support for this war. It is crucial for China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to take responsibility for peace worldwide.”

“We expect reliable and concrete efforts from China, which uses its significant influence, including over Russia, to end this conflict and ensure a swift end to the war.”

“I have urged him [the Foreign Minister of the PRC Wang Yi] and the Chinese government to use the available means to bring Russia to the negotiating table.”

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In Italy, it has been decided to classify Berlusconi's dream bridge under NATO's defence spending

In light of the new target for NATO member states to increase military spending to 5% by 2035, Italian politicians have once again begun discussing the construction of the bridge over the Strait of Messina, which is meant to connect Sicily with the mainland. However, it has now been proposed to classify the bridge as a defence object in order to include it in the category of spending necessary for the strategic development of the alliance, reports Politico.

The construction of a suspension bridge over the Strait of Messina is one of the most expensive and controversial infrastructure projects in the world, according to the newspaper. The costs are estimated at 13.5 billion euros, with a main span length of 3.3 km. The project has been attempted at various times by Benito Mussolini and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The magazine Spiegel called the project "Berlusconi's dream," which was described as a "modern wonder of the world" during his second term.

Despite numerous attempts, the bridge has never been built. Studies have shown that it would need to be located in one of the most seismically active regions of the Mediterranean and its construction would involve a massive resettlement of people, according to Politico. Nevertheless, Giorgia Meloni's government has decided not to abandon efforts to implement the grand project.

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