The threat to free speech in Germany
One of the freest countries in the world takes a hammer to its own reputation
IN 2003 Barbra Streisand, an American chanteuse, sought to block the publication of an aerial photo of her Malibu mansion. When news of her frivolous lawsuit spread, so did the number of people who downloaded the image. The phenomenon of unwittingly publicising information by seeking its suppression became known as the “Streisand effect”. Something similar has recently unfolded in Germany.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Germany’s gag reflex”
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