​Campaign Week: When people fall silent out of fear – Three questions for Anna-Lena von Hodenberg

​“Democracy needs many voices” is a week of action organised by the Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers, of which Klambt Verlag is a member. Delius Klasing, as part of Klambt Verlag, is also taking part in this broad alliance and is publishing a selection of articles in connection with this initiative.

Freedom of expression means that everyone is free to express their views. But what is this freedom worth if people choose to remain silent for fear of hatred and threats?

The internet is one of the most important spaces for communication today. It is here that we engage in our major social debates and keep ourselves informed about relevant issues. In this space, everyone should feel confident enough to express their opinions freely. This makes it all the more alarming that, for many, this is no longer possible.

A representative study shows that more than half of internet users are withdrawing from public democratic discourse online out of fear of digital violence. The majority are less likely to express their political views online and take less part in discussions – for fear of being insulted or threatened themselves.

This poses a threat not only to freedom of expression, but to our democracy as a whole. We must ensure that censorship does not come from the state, nor that people are intimidated into no longer expressing their opinions.

If more and more people remain silent online, will it ultimately be the loudest and most radical voices that shape public opinion?

Yes, that is precisely the danger. If more and more people say, ‘I’m not putting myself through this any more; I’m not going to speak out online any more’, then those voices and opinions will be missing from public discourse. It is mainly the loud, aggressive and radical voices – and their messages – that remain visible.

This can create a distorted impression of what is actually capable of winning majority support or is socially acceptable. In recent years, we have seen how radical language and positions have become increasingly normalised as a result and have effectively become ‘acceptable to say’. Self-censorship therefore affects not only the individual, but all of us – it changes public discourse as a whole.

What is needed to ensure that we can engage in heated debates online without silencing people? And who is responsible for this?

We need a digital space where controversial debates can take place without people being silenced by hate, threats or defamation. Illegal content must be removed swiftly and consistently; perpetrators must be held to account; and those affected need easy access to the law and justice.

Above all, however, the platforms bear the responsibility. Violent content and disinformation must not be allowed to spread more quickly than objective discussions simply because they attract more attention. As long as platforms continue to make money from digital violence and disinformation, these incentives are unlikely to change.

We already have an important law that obliges platforms to uphold our democratic values: the Digital Services Act. Yet the US government has joined forces with the tech bosses and is preventing this law from being enforced. We must not allow this to happen: US tech billionaires such as Musk or Zuckerberg must not be allowed to stand above the law – at the expense of the protection of children and young people, freedom of expression and democracy.

About the person: Anna-Lena von Hodenberg is a journalist and co-founder and managing director of the non-profit organisation HateAid, which campaigns against digital violence and for human rights online. In 2025, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for her commitment.

​Find out more at democracyneedsmanyvotes.de