Federal Minister of Justice, Stefanie Hubig (SPD), is pushing for the swift implementation of the planned law against digital violence. The SPD politician told RTL and ntv on Friday that the goal is to pass the draft legislation “as soon as possible this year”. According to the minister, the intense public debate, which was partly sparked by accusations made in the Collin Fernandes case, has not accelerated the process itself, as work on the draft has been ongoing since the beginning of the current legislative period. Nevertheless, Hubig welcomed the increased attention, emphasizing the importance of bringing violence online, and especially violence against women, into sharper focus. “This society needs this discussion” Hubig remarked.
A core component of the proposed law concerns criminalizing so-called sexualized deepfakes-specifically, making the creation of such content punishable. Hubig justified this by citing the severe consequences for victims, who can be “degraded” and “humiliated” often suffering measurable health and social repercussions. She added that technically creating such content is now possible “within seconds”. “And this leads us to the conclusion that we must be able to deal with this effectively. Therefore, the creation of such material cannot simply be done without facing legal consequences in the future” Hubig stated.
The minister assured that even with stricter criminal law provisions, fundamental principles of the rule of law would be maintained. She confirmed that existing hurdles for investigations-such as initial suspicion requirements-will not be lowered, stating, “We are not changing that”. The draft law is scheduled for a hearing with associations and federal states on Friday. While Hubig acknowledged that amendments might occur during the procedural stages, she remained optimistic about broad political backing and the law retaining its core principles.