Tag Archives: Germany

Why is Net Neutrality in Germany in Danger?

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The debate about net neutrality in Germany is not a new one. But it has reached a peak because the Deutsche Telekom announced that it will introduce a new tariff structure (link in German). So far, so boring.

What’s the matter? Why is net neutrality in Germany in danger?

First of all, the Deutsche Telekom supplies more than 12 million clients (link in German) in Germany with broadband Internet access. If the company will change its tariff structure a good deal of the German population will be affected. Now the Telekom’s plan is to introduce a new tariff for broadband internet access very similar to what we already know from mobile phones. Most of the mobile phone subscribers have a contract with a certain data volume. If this data volume is exceeded you have to pay for a supplementary service in order to use high-speed Internet. If not, the speed of your Internet connection will be heavily reduced.

So what, those who pay more get a better service. Isn’t this the bottom line of a service economy?

Well, in this case only partly. The Deutsche Telekom is not only a company that provides the infrastructure. The Telekom itself provides content as well. Its own platform Entertain makes dozens of TV channels as well as Video on Demand services available. These services won’t be deducted from the data volume. There will also be so-called managed services, which means that some content providers pay the Telekom for a preferrential transmission of their content. The result will be that big players will definitely be at an advantage because they can pay the infrastructure providers like the Telekom. But what about smaller, innovative and new companies? They could be the losers (besides the customers) in this game.

Net neutrality flyer.

Net neutrality flyer. Published by Flickr user skyfaller, CC BY-SA 2.0

Is it only about money?

No. It’s also about data protection and privay. The Telekom only knows which service they want to favour if they scan the content. This means that every data package has to be checked in order to find out who is the sender, who is the addressee and what’s the content. Just try to imagine what an outcry it would cause if parcel services would control every parcel they deliver (if you speak German you should read this great blogpost. It explains the similarity between controlling data packages and „real“ packages).

According to Wikipedia net neutrality „is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, and modes of communication“. This principle will be broken if the Telekom will really implement what it has announced yesterday. It seems like there is only a small chance to stop this if Telekom’s customers send a signal that they will change their Internet provider. This could also prevent other providers from implementing similar tariff structures. Unfortunately the German government is not willing to pass a law that secures net neutrality in Germany.

“Corruption is Harmful? How Do You Know?”

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Corruption is Deadly

Picture taken from futureatlas.com on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

„Corruption is harmful? Why? How do you know?“

Sometimes you’re challenged by very simple questions. Everybody knows that corruption is harmful. Don’t you think?

Some time ago I met someone from Bulgaria. I don’t remember how and why we had turned to this topic but suddenly we were talking about corruption. I said that there are some states in the world where corruption is one of the biggest societal problems. He asked: „Corruption is harmful? Why? How do you know?“ He also said that this is like a Western view on corruption and I’m giving the impression that there would be no corruption in Germany. Well, of course there is corruption in Germany and in all other European countries as well. That is why organizations like Transparency International, LobbyControl (a German NGO) or investigative journalists are so important.

Yesterday I stumbled upon an interesting blogpost by Andrea Arzaba. She describes the harmful effects of corruption in Mexico and she is advocating the fight against corruption.

Everywhere, of course. Not only in Bulgaria or Mexico!

Thanks Andrea for giving the permission to publish the article on my blog.

Mexico: When Corruption “Bites” You

Literally, mordida means “to bite” in Spanish. But in common Mexican slang, it can also refer to bribery. To give money in order to influence the behaviour of the recipient who abuses his/her power. By these means people avoid long tramits or do not pay the penalty of their wrong behaviour. In Mexico, many citizens have been involved in the cycle of corruption  just by “giving a bite” to people who accept corruption as a part of their routine.

Usually, these mordidas are given to the transit police – when drivers are going to get a fine, they often prefer to pay a few pesos to make the police look the other way, and by this avoid a series of paperwork, visits to the police station and more money to pay for their acts.

Another common mordida would be given to corrupt school directors, offered by students or by their parents, who pay those teachers and/or directives to accept misusing their position and getting fake grades to students, in order to pass the school year.

Some other known “bites” are those given to any public official who can make paperwork processes that take days, in minutes, all under a bill with more than one zero. Journalists with unethical backgrounds get mordidas, and as an exchange they write biassed stories that bring out only some facts and hide others. A common practice where democracy becomes just a fantasy in developing countries.

In Mexico it is common that citizens criticize the government, criticize the companies, executives and journalists. We criticize the police and public officials for taking bribes, but in reality, common people are the ones who also allow this endless cycle  keep on going. Common people are the ones who offer these mordidas as well. Us, the ones who accept this behaviour as a normal part of our lives are allowing the corruption wheel to continue moving forward. Us, who witness corrupt acts on the streets and continue walking as if nothing had happened.

Discussing this issue, a few days ago a friend told me: “well, the system works this way and it benefits everyone.” I refused to accept his argument. This is what happens today, but it is our duty to inform others and show them that the system should work with transparency. That it is possible. These mordidas make us realize that something is failing in our system,  and it is our generation who can change it by understanding the real means of bribery and standing against it.

Because in the end the one who asks for a bribe is as corrupt as the one who tolerates it and remains silent.

Post written and published for the 15th IACC – Transparency International
(Andrea Arzaba, August 2012 )

New Website “Make it in Germany” has launched

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The outlook for the German job market is bleak. But not in a way you might think of. In fact, high unemployment doesn’t seem to be a problem in the decades ahead. Instead, the biggest challenge will rather be a lack of qualified professionals. In the year 2025, there could be a lack of three million qualified professionals – according to a study by the German Federal Employment Agency (pdf, in German).

As part of a broader, concerted effort to attract more qualified professionals from abroad the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Federal Employment Agency have launched the website Make it in Germany.

Screenshot of website "Make it in Germany"

Screenshot of website “Make it in Germany”

The website provides an overview of the working and living conditions in Germany. This might not be the most interesting part of the website because you can inform yourself about this on hundreds of other websites across the web (those that do not intend to promote the German labour market). There is a list of occupations on the website that are in demand in Germany which might be more useful. The guideline with the different steps that have to be taken in order to work in Germany could also be useful. The website informs as well about diverse aspects of living in Germany, like schools for your children, healthcare, banking and so on.

Summing up you can say that this website is indeed kind of an advertising platform to attract foreign professionals. However, the majority of qualified professionals (if not all of them) would get information about moving abroad via the Internet. So it’s definitely a good idea to launch such an official platform with information on working and living in Germany.

I myself as a German don’t know what it’s like for someone from abroad trying to get a job in Germany. For this reason, I don’t want to assess the benefit of the website “Make it in Germany”. But it would be interesting to know about your opinion. Do you think it’s a useful website?

Weapon Deals and Land Grabs: Justify Yourself!

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A few days ago the campaign 25000-euro.de (German) caught my attention. Publishing wanted posters of the owners of the German weapons manufacturer Kraus-Maffei Wegmann and calling for tips that could lead to convictions of the company’s shareholders? That’s quite a bold campaign I thought. But the motivation for it – preventing the delivery of 270 Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi-Arabia – is definitely a noble one.  Does the end justifiy the means?

The organizers of this campaign (The Center for Political Beauty) say that Krauss-Maffei Wegmann’s shareholders (KMW is a family enterprise with just a couple of shareholders) have too long operated in the background. In fact, there are even people who have worked with the owners and who don’t know that these people earn their money through selling tanks and other wepaons.

The German government has already approved the tanks deal with Saudi-Arabia. In such a case the Federal Security Council decides. This decision was made behind closed doors and without consultation of the parliament. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann claims that it’s „merely“ executing the government’s decision. It could be so easy…

Justify Yourself

Photo taken from andeecollard on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

However, I think it’s about time that in such a case decision-makers or those who „merely“ execute these decisions have to justify their actions. The owners of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann should tell the public why they will deliver 270 tanks to Saudi-Arabia, which are appropriate for oppressing protesters. Those tanks could be used to violently oppress protests in Saudi-Arabia or in neighbouring countries like in Bahrain. This has happened before.

Yesterday I stumbled upon an article titled: „Meet the millionaires and billionaires buying land in Africa“. The principle behind it is basically the same like 25000-euro.de. Those people who are making profits in ways that harm others should justify their actions. Transparency could help to avoid actions like these. If the public makes clear that it detests weapons deals with despotic regimes, land deals (landgrabs) at the expense of those who have cultivated the land for a long time or any other deal that bring profits to a minority and that harms a majority of innocent people, some people could think twice about their actions.

Do you know any similar campaigns like 25000-euro.de? I would be happy if you share them! What do you think of campaigns like this one?

Allemagne: La campagne “25000euros” dénonce les livraisons de chars à l’Arabie saoudite

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A few days ago I published my first article on Global Voices Deutsch. I have already translated a few blogposts from English into German but writing articles yourself and reading them in other languages thanks to volunteer translators is a new experience. That’s why I would like to repost my article here – not in German but in French! You can read the German version here. The French version has been published on GV French. Samy Boutayeb translated the post into French and Rachel Horst translated it into English.

Le groupe d’artistes et d’activistes “Zentrum für politische Schönheit”(”Centre pour la beauté politique” en allemand) a lancé le lundi 21 mai 2012 une action spectaculaire pour mettre fin aux livraisons de chars à l’Arabie saoudite. La campagne 25 000 Euro promet cette somme aux personnes donnant des informations qui permettraient de faire comparaître devant un tribunal un ou  plusieurs dirigeants de l’entreprise d’armement Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. L’action a d’ores et déjà connu un important retentissement dans la blogosphère et sur les médias sociaux.

La campagne des 25 000 euros se déroule dans le contexte de projets de livraisons de chars allemands [en anglais] à l’Arabie saoudite. L’industriel de l’armement Krauss-Maffei Wegmann a décroché le contrat portant sur la livraison de 270 chars Leopard 2 A7+. Ce modèle est spécialement conçu pour des interventions en zone urbaine. Le Centre pour la beauté politique a produit une vidéo illustrant les capacités de ce char dans la lutte contre les révoltes populaires.

Le Centre pour la beauté politique justifie son action en précisant que les chars peuvent être utilisés pour réprimer des révoltes populaires dans ce pays ainsi qu’au Bahreïn voisin (Global Voices avait couvert [en] l’entrée des troupes saoudiennes au Bahreïn). Le contrat de vente de chars ayant reçu l’aval des milieux politiques allemands, la campagne “25000 Euro” entend faire comparaître les dirigeants non pas pour les livraisons de chars mais pour fraude fiscale, blanchiment d’argent ou pour d’autres délits du même ordre :

Si le monde politique n’interdit pas le commerce des armes aux conséquences mortelles, nous avons l’obligation d’être créatifs afin que les auteurs répondent pénalement de leurs actes. Dans le cas d’Al Capone, il a été finalement nécessaire d’attaquer sur le terrain de la fraude fiscale. Le Code pénal possède d’innombrables articles pouvant être invoqués.

Avis de rechercheLe caractère singulier de la campagne réside dans la mise à prix d’une sorte de “récompense” ainsi que dans la publication d’avis de recherche, présentant les responsables. La campagne souligne le fait qu’un grand nombre de ces personnes se présentent comme des antroposophes ou des artistes.

Les réactions inspirées par la campagne sur les médias sociaux sont dans leur grande majorité positives. John F. Nebel écrit sur son blog Metronaut :

C’est sans doute l’une des campagnes les plus belles et les plus radicales contre l’industrie allemande de l’armement depuis longtemps.

Le blog populaire Netzpolitik.org a également publié un article sur 25000-euro.de.

Par ailleurs, de nombreuses personnes soutiennent cette action en adressant au porte-parole du gouvernement, Steffen Seibert, la question suivante, transmise sur Twitter:

Monsieur le porte-parole (@RegSprecher), pourquoi le gouvernement fédéral soutient-il l’exportation de chars de combat auprès de régimes autoritaires ? #panzer #25000Euro

À ce jour, le porte-parole du gouvernement ne s’est pas exprimé sur Twitter, pour répondre aux questions sur le contrat de ventes de chars.
@kl_gelber_Fisch se désintéresse de la précédente question et souhaiterait savoir si le gouvernement fédéral allemand privilégie la stabilité ou la liberté.

Monsieur le porte-parole (@RegSprecher), la stabilité dans les pays du Golfe est-elle plus importante que la vie et la liberté des personnes qui y vivent ? #panzer #25000Euro

Le Centre pour la beauté politique a également publié sur 25000-euro.de un appel vidéo de Abbas Al Omran (Centre pour les droits humains de Bahraïn), appelant les dirigeants à mettre fin aux livraisons de chars.

Le Centre pour la beauté politique informe en continu sur 25000-euro.de sur l’évolution de la campagne, par exemple en diffusant des informations susceptibles d’être utiles dans le cadre d’une plainte devant un tribunal.

German Tanks and the Arab Spring

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Next week the 3rd Arms Trade Treaty Prep Com at the United Nations in New York (July 11-15th) will take place. The purpose of a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is to set up legally binding rules to regulate the global arms trade. Questions like: which weapons will be integrated in a regulating mechanism? Will small arms and light weapons be included? Should aspects like human rights be considered when arms exports to authoritarian countries are coming under scrutiny?

The last question has become a pressing issue in Germany. The news magazine “Der Spiegel” has reported that Germany plans to sell 200 Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi-Arabia. These tanks could also be used against demonstrators says a German security expert. Now, in the Prep Coms Germany has supported a human rights based approach to an ATT – see the statement made by a Belgian special envoy speaking on behalf of the European Union:

“An ATT should prevent conventional weapons from being used to contribute to armed conflicts, trans-national organized crime, terrorist acts, serious human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law, which undermine peace, security, regional stability, and sustainable social and economic development.”

The German government does not seem to be concerned about possible human rights violations in Saudi-Arabia like a crackdown of Saudis who are protesting in favor of reforms or violence against protesters in nearby Bahrain (like it happened in March). Instead, the argument goes like this:

Iran is pursuing regional power ambitions => Iran is kind of an enemy and a threat for regional stability => Saudi-Arabia should be supported to be a counterbalance  to Iran in the region=> If we don’t deliver them the US, Spain or others will do it.

Obviously the German government hasn’t noticed the momentum of human-rights in the Arab world. Instead of sending tanks to Saudi-Arabia the German government should stick to its declared goal of trying to prevent human rights violations. What else would you call a possible use of German tanks for cracking down protests in Saudi-Arabia or Bahrain?