Germany is no longer considered a fully open society, according to the annual report on civil society and democracy by the organization 'Brot für die Welt' (Bread of the World). The report highlights that migration, the LGBT+ community, and climate change are being targeted by disinformation campaigns.
'The great majority of people in the world cannot raise their hand and speak freely,' said Dagmar Pruin, president of Brot für die Welt, at the report's presentation. She added that even in Germany, some narratives are being purposely buried, citing how criticism of right-wing extremism is discredited as ideological.
The report, the Atlas of Civil Society, is published annually and examines global trends related to NGOs, protest movements, and media freedom. According to this year's edition, only 3.4% of the world's population lives in truly open societies, while 30.7% live in completely closed, authoritarian circumstances.
'This year, there has been a 7% increase on societies categorized as having limited openness,' said Brot für die Welt human rights expert Silke Pfeiffer. 'This includes many countries from the global north that purport to be democratic, such as the US, France, Italy and yes, Germany.'
The report notes increased police brutality and arrests at protests in Germany, particularly affecting solidarity demonstrations for civilians in Gaza and climate protests. It also highlights rising incidents of discrimination such as queerphobia, sexism, racism, and antisemitism across the country.
This year's report focuses on the global rise in disinformation in the age of artificial intelligence. Citing the Ernst and Young AI Sentiment Index, which surveyed 15,000 people in 15 countries including Germany, Brot für die Welt found that 75% of people worry about getting bad information from AI, but only about a third investigate further.
The report identifies key topics targeted by AI-driven disinformation campaigns: immigration (particularly linked to crime rates), the LGBT+ community, and climate change. In 2021, 23% of Germans thought climate change was due to natural cycles; last year, that number climbed to 33%.
Brot für die Welt called on the EU to strengthen protections for activists and civil society groups, and to enforce the EU Digital Services Act more strictly. The law ostensibly holds firms like Meta and Google accountable for disinformation and hate speech, but legal loopholes and vague language have allowed tech giants to exert minimum effort.
Source: www.dw.com