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Comment by sepositus | Hacker News Reader

I had the same initial reaction. I just finished watching 60 Minutes about policing the internet in Germany and was left genuinely confused about European culture. A place where the GDPR probably has better protections for European citizens than the U.S. but where you can apparently be arrested for insulting someone online.

I think it's safe to say that both continents have problems. No need to act superior.

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where you can apparently be arrested for insulting someone online.

Nobody gets arrested for insulting someone online. Threatening, yes. Discriminating, maybe. Insulting, never heard of such a thing.

Well, I summarized the other two words you used into a single one (insulting). Perhaps it's too generalized, but my point is obvious: that free speech isn't a thing over there anymore.

What do you mean by there? I live in Europe and can say what I want, as long as I don't threaten someone, etc. You may want to check the World Press Freedom Index: https://rsf.org/en/index

The top-13 are only European countries. The top-18 are only European countries + Canada. The US is at position 55. Similarly, in the freedom of expression index, many European countries (including Germany, which was your example), rank higher than the US:

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/freedom-of-expression-ind...

I'm just using common sense here. If you can go to jail or be fined for saying something inflammatory online, you don't have freedom of speech. My "there" comment referenced Germany since that was my example and where the 60 Minutes segment was done.

You can watch the interview yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bMzFDpfDwc

It's worth pointing out the usage of "insult" in the interview.

> "Is it a crime to insult somebody in public?"

> "Yes."

They openly admit that insults can also get you a fine and have your computer confiscated. And this isn't a weird conspiracy theory, they are proud of it.

What insults? (I am not sure where to look, because the comment does not have references) Insults covers a lot of ground, including racist insults.

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