Tobias Schmid
German Government Now Exporting Anti-Porn Surveillance Tool
A crusading official who has been waging a one-man War on Porn in Germany, and who developed an AI tool that scans online content to identify images not compliant with the law, has now exported that technology for use by a Belgian media watchdog agency.
German Proposal Aims to Shut Down Financial Services for Adult Sites
German authorities have introduced a proposal to facilitate network blocks against adult sites deemed to have inadequate age verification systems, and also to prohibit financial institutions from providing payment services to those sites.
German Police Ramp Up Plan to Eliminate All Explicit Content From Twitter
German police have been targeting and intimidating specific Twitter users who post or retweet explicit material, in an attempt to move forward local bureaucrat Tobias Schmid’s campaign to purge all open platforms of adult content.
German Police Threaten Creators, Scholars for Posting Adult Content on Twitter
German police have been threatening adult content creators with criminal charges for posting explicit videos and images on Twitter.
France, Germany Move Forward With Efforts to Block Adult Sites
Prompted by anti-porn activists and politicians, courts in France and Germany moved forward this week with proposed mandates to block adult sites over compliance with controversial age verification mandates.
xHamster Affirms Commitment to 'Youth Media Protection' in Germany
xHamster signaled today that it is willing to work with German media authorities towards preventing minors in that country from accessing adult content.
Local German Anti-Porn Crusader Plans to Expand Surveillance Tool to All of Europe
The local official behind the crusade for Germany to require age verification for viewing sexual content is now seeking to expand to all of Europe the use of his new AI tool, KIVI, which automatically scans all online content to determine which images are not compliant with the law.
Progressive German Newspaper Asks for State-Funded 'Educational' Porn
Progressive German publication Taz published an opinion piece last week suggesting that state public media fund “educational” porn as part of their mandate to “protect children,” rather than attempt to censor the commercial variety.
German Regulator Who Shut Down xHamster Describes Own Mission as 'Kafkaesque'
Tobias Schmid, the obscure local bureaucrat who spearheads Germany’s War on Porn and recently led a successful movement to force ISPs to ban xHamster in the country, gave an interview last week in which he admitted he has “no clear answer” on how to make age verification effective and acknowledged his anti-porn crusade is “a bit Kafkaesque.”
German ISPs Exploring Legal Challenge to Government Order to Block xHamster
Hours after the German government ordered the country’s major internet service providers to block xHamster, one of the ISPs, PŸUR, told a digital rights group that it reserves the right “to have the decision legally reviewed by an independent court with a view to the legal regulations of net neutrality.”
German Government Orders ISPs to Block xHamster
Germany’s Commission for Youth Media Protection decided unanimously on Thursday to impose a network ban on xHamster.
German Digital Rights Group Warns Against Imminent Porn Block
German digital rights group Netzpolitik.org has published an editorial warning against the current onslaught by self-proclaimed “youth protectors” attempting to use the country’s court system to force a government ban on adult tube sites.
German Court Sides With Anti-Porn Crusader, Blocks 3 Adult Sites
The one-man War on Porn being conducted in Germany by an obscure, conservative local bureaucrat from the North Rhine-Westphalia region has resulted in the first national ban order on “three pornographic sites based in Cyprus.”
Federal Agency Endorses Campaign by Germany's 'Top Anti-Porn Warrior'
The one-man War on Porn being conducted in Germany by an obscure, conservative local bureaucrat from the North Rhine-Westphalia region has now gone federal, with his attempt to “shut down” all major tube sites over alleged age-verification infractions receiving the blessing of the federal Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz or KJM).
Germany's Top Censorship Advocate Moves Forward Against xHamster
Germany’s most vocal proponent of state censorship of adult content, an obscure local bureaucrat named Tobias Schmid who serves as the head of the State Media Authority (LMA) of North Rhine-Westphalia, announced this week he has identified the hosting provider of xHamster in order to continue actions towards blocking the site.
Germany's Leading Censorship Advocate Now Targeting OnlyFans
Germany’s most vocal proponent of state censorship, an obscure local bureaucrat named Tobias Schmid who serves as the head of the State Media Authority (LMA) of North Rhine-Westphalia, has announced this week he has started investigating popular premium fan site OnlyFans.
Local German Efforts to Enforce AV Laws Concern Privacy, Free Expression Advocates
A state-sponsored effort in Germany hardening of intrusive age verification schemes to target specific leading adult platforms — including Pornhub, YouPorn and MyDirtyHobby — has raised alarm among privacy and freedom of sexual expression advocates.