Edathy countered with abuse allegations on Facebook

Edathy countered with abuse allegations on Facebook

Politicians are said to deal with the online community a thick skin. Occasionally, there are also active in the network party representative thin-skinned when it comes to criticism of their online activities. That showed the SPD politician Sebastian Edathy in a controversy over image displays as part of its Facebook presence, as he released a suggestion to set up idols of Berlichingen to a commentator. Into the light of a broader public opinion, this is an article in the online edition of the magazine "journalist", who described the events.

Sebastian Edathy
Sebastian Edathy (SPD), thin-skinned reaction to criticism copyright a Facebook member.
Image: www.edathy.de stumbling block was first photos Edathy had provided on his Facebook page with wry observations - they formed from, inter alia, Angela Merkel and Philipp Rösler. One commentator held before the SPD politician, the presentation of these photos as part of the Facebook presence infringes copyrights, unless a license are the copyright holder. The dispute escalated comment until the critic finally announced that he had now secured for documentation purposes, the Facebook photo database of the politician and the dialogue with him and asked other Facebook users. Edathys response: "Then you are welcome to add: You can contact me again." On the demand of the commentator, "Are you serious?" reaffirmed the politicians: "Criss-Cross" and then to put even more plainly: "... to me, as usual, sometimes lick my ass."

The newspaper "Die Welt" is also the controversy again. Addressed by the editors on his statement, Edathy should have responded, for an apology, he saw no reason. The allegations of the photos used were politically motivated. If we define as strict standards on the publication of pictures that would mean that every third Facebook entry should be deleted.

In fact, however, says the German copyright protected works in publishing, for themselves - photos of people are eligible for protection as a rule, the copyrights are owned by the photographer. These rights are not affected by the fact that the people depicted have to put figures of contemporary society than the use of their images for journalistic or satirical purposes. In this respect the unauthorized disclosure of other photo works actually represents a violation of copyright, unless they can be considered as an image within quotes journalistic reporting. Otherwise it would look at the mere linking of images. Given that the Facebook page accessible at least for users of social network was, the whole must be considered as published in the legal sense.

Sebastian Edathy is a member of the Bundestag's Legal Affairs Committee, and (since 2010) Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Inquiry Gorleben. In 2007 he was the controversial 2010 and declared unconstitutional the law on data retention, in whose creation he participated supports.