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In Germany, if you run a website of any kind, it has to include an imprint, which is required to list a legal entity which usually is a person. See https://de.

In Germany, if you run a website of any kind, it has to include an imprint, which is required to list a legal entity which usually is a person. See https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressumspflicht#Telemediengesetz https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressumspflicht#Telemedienge... Source: I'm a German, I publish websites.

88840-8855 5y ago
Then run a .com address and you do not need an Impressum. Problem solved. LOL. Source: I am also a German, I publish .com websites.
- merb 5y ago
  nope. it's not solved. If anybody knows who you are, if you still live in germany, you will be fined. the law has nothing to do with an ending of the dns or some stupid shit. it only applies to juridical persons in germany.
  - Nextgrid 5y ago
    > If anybody knows who you are I think the point here is to not disclose your identity online as a defense against bullshit lawsuits. Whether you agree with the approach itself is one thing, but if it works at protecting against lawsuits it'll definitely work at protecting against enforcement of this law.
    - merb 5y ago
      it won't work at protecting against law enforcement. if they want you, they will find a way.
      - Nextgrid 5y ago
        It will kind of. Law enforcement does not have unlimited resources, and its limited resources have to be prioritized based on the severity of the infringement. Lack of an "impressum" by itself would be quite tame unless there has been some other crime committed (or at the very least a credible tip or complaint) that would justify law enforcement looking into it in the first place. Furthermore, when it comes to the lack of "impressum", merely determining whether the law has been broken would be difficult with proper anonymity. Let's say he's based in Germany but anonymously purchases hosting in the US or another country and never discloses his German residency on the website - in this case it's impossible from the outside to even determine whether he is actually breaking this law, removing the probable cause for an investigation in the first place. As far as I'm aware, Germany does not - and wouldn't have the resources anyway - to thoroughly investigate every foreign-hosted website to determine whether its owner is actually based in Germany and is thus breaking the law by not publishing an "impressum".
- rad_gruchalski 5y ago
  It's not solved. If you're based in Germany, as soon as you are doing any business and collect information from people, or better - money, you gotta do it. Interestingly, you only have to do it IF you have an online presence. As in, you don't have to have an online presence when running a business.
stavros 5y ago
Right, but you don't need an impressum for a GitHub repo or a browser extension, right? I guess the GP probably did run a website.

88840-8855 5y ago

Then run a .com address and you do not need an Impressum. Problem solved. LOL. Source: I am also a German, I publish .com websites.

merb 5y ago
nope. it's not solved. If anybody knows who you are, if you still live in germany, you will be fined. the law has nothing to do with an ending of the dns or some stupid shit. it only applies to juridical persons in germany.
- Nextgrid 5y ago
  > If anybody knows who you are I think the point here is to not disclose your identity online as a defense against bullshit lawsuits. Whether you agree with the approach itself is one thing, but if it works at protecting against lawsuits it'll definitely work at protecting against enforcement of this law.
  - merb 5y ago
    it won't work at protecting against law enforcement. if they want you, they will find a way.
    - Nextgrid 5y ago
      It will kind of. Law enforcement does not have unlimited resources, and its limited resources have to be prioritized based on the severity of the infringement. Lack of an "impressum" by itself would be quite tame unless there has been some other crime committed (or at the very least a credible tip or complaint) that would justify law enforcement looking into it in the first place. Furthermore, when it comes to the lack of "impressum", merely determining whether the law has been broken would be difficult with proper anonymity. Let's say he's based in Germany but anonymously purchases hosting in the US or another country and never discloses his German residency on the website - in this case it's impossible from the outside to even determine whether he is actually breaking this law, removing the probable cause for an investigation in the first place. As far as I'm aware, Germany does not - and wouldn't have the resources anyway - to thoroughly investigate every foreign-hosted website to determine whether its owner is actually based in Germany and is thus breaking the law by not publishing an "impressum".
rad_gruchalski 5y ago
It's not solved. If you're based in Germany, as soon as you are doing any business and collect information from people, or better - money, you gotta do it. Interestingly, you only have to do it IF you have an online presence. As in, you don't have to have an online presence when running a business.

stavros 5y ago

Right, but you don't need an impressum for a GitHub repo or a browser extension, right? I guess the GP probably did run a website.