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Aeolun | on: Germany set to restrict its Freedom of Information Act
Wait? They previously allowed everybody and their mother to request the information? Limiting it to ‘citizens of the european union’ seems eminently reasonable.
BadBadJellyBean | parent | next
There is more to it. To request information you have to have some "legitimate interest" which is not yet defined and sounds like an easy way to not give out information.

Also no more NGOs. They were the ones who had the most power to wrestle information out of the hands of rather unwilling parties. The cost of going to court for this would deter most private persons.

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eigenspace | parent | next
Maybe, but the more problematic part is disallowing NGOs from submitting information requests. Multiple previous corruption scandals in Germany were exposed exactly because NGOs themselves were allowed to submit these information requests (and pay for them).
mytailorisrich | root | parent
IMHO banning organisations from making requests will have no effect. People will just make requests in their own names, instead, then what?
jabiko | root | parent | next
Also with the planned changes, you have to prove that you have an legitimate interest in the information. Which makes the whole thing very vague. So the government can just say that they don't think you have a legitimate interest in the information and deny your request. You would then have to sue.

Also also want to invoice you for all costs that your request causes. Previously it was capped at 500€. So your request could cost you thousands of euros. You are at the mercy of the government how many people are working on your request and how efficient they process it.

Ntrails | root | parent
> Previously it was capped at 500€. So your request could cost you thousands of euros.

To be clear, it is currently costing the taxpayer said thousands of Euros. Time spent by government workers on FoI requests is meaningful and not free. That does not make them a bad idea, but we should be clear that passing costs on to the requester isn't precisely nefarious?

dxdm | root | parent | next
The transparency of this information is a public good in itself, so it is in the interest of the public that this information can be requested as freely as possible.

Of course there should probably be a way to limit waste, but putting all financial cost onto a single person is a way to effectively limit freedom of information to the point where it contradicts and undermines the whole idea behind it. That's one of the reasons why this change is being proposed, and it is not a stretch to call this nefarious.

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eigenspace | root | parent | next
There are fees that need to be paid to make a freedom of information request (fees which they also want to jack up), and if an NGO offers to pay that fee so that a native German citizen can make the request, it could be construed as foreign interference.
krferriter | root | parent | next
If the fees are raised, individuals will be less willing to pay out of their own pocket. Even if they aren't raised people are less willing to pay out of pocket compared to an NGO or journalism org that had revenue and budget allotments specifically for that purpose. Assuming NGOs will also not be allowed to directly pay for request fees made by their members/collaborators.
gustavus | root | parent
The government has a list of pesky troublemakers to target individually if they prove too annoying? I'm sure the good people of Germany can figure out something to charge someone with.
danielfoster | parent | next
Such a restriction isn’t patently unreasonable but it would make it more difficult for foreign journalists to do research, and it would add the hassle of requiring individuals to show proof of residence when submitting a request. Anonymous requests under pseudonyms would become impossible.

For what it’s worth, only a handful of US states have a residency requirement for FOIA requests.

bakies | parent | next
What about watchdog groups?
myrmidon | parent | next
Not really.

The main "purpose" for such information is to be published, and at that point it makes no difference who exactly requested it.

Personal view:

The current mainly governing party in Germany (CDU/CSU) is a bunch of incompetent, nepotistic gerontocrats, and this change is mainly intended to make it harder for independent press to air their dirty laundry.

Just for reference: Approval rating for Merz (chancellor) is under 20% (!!); even Trump is >35%.

master-lincoln | root | parent
I am wondering if a valid aspect of limiting this to people living in Germany could be to prevent Denial of Service attacks from abroad. Of course these could also be launched from Germans...
jabiko | root | parent
Under the current law you already have to pay up to 500€ for a request. That would be a very costly DoS attack.
varispeed | parent
Won't this require citizen to provide ID and therefore citizens asking difficult questions could become a target for retaliation?
LauraMedia | root | parent | next
Yes, and there is currently talks if this also means NGOs like FragDenStaat or media outlets could no longer request information.
schnitzelstoat | root | parent | next
You can also be a resident, paying plenty of taxes, yet not be a citizen.
inigyou | root | parent
It's already the case that if you question Israel's right to exist you are considered an antisemitic terrorist and arrested - they are now trying to codify this into an actual law (not just something the police do).

There is no freedom in Germany. The mistakes of the past did not change anyone's mindset about human rights and freedom. They only learned how to put on a facade of caring about them. And they are the most powerful member of the European Union.

master-lincoln | root | parent
> The mistakes of the past did not change anyone's mindset about human rights and freedom

As if anybody who experienced this themselves has a big influence on current politics...WW2 ended 81 years ago

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