With her organisation HateAid she is campaigning against digital violence, defending nothing less than democracy on the internet. For this work, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg was awarded  the Federal Cross of Merit at the beginning of October. In our interview, she tells us what concerns her despite some progress.

HateAid's mission is to curb digital violence and strengthen human rights in the digital space. What inspired you to found the organisation, and what additional issues have you addressed since then?

Anna-Lena von Hodenberg: In the run-up to the 2017 federal election, my co-founders and I observed how those on the far right were systematically stirring up sentiment on social networks. Using thousands of fake profiles, they defamed, threatened and pressured people deliberately. Their aim was to silence political opponents and shift public opinion to the right with these attacks. I was particularly shocked by how coordinated the attacks were, and by how easily social networks could be exploited for this purpose.

Determined to counteract this, we founded HateAid in 2018, the first nationwide contact point for victims of digital violence. Today, we are a human rights organisation. In addition to providing emotional support and helping victims to enforce the law, we also carry out educational work to raise awareness among politicians, the judiciary and wider society of the effects of digital violence. Digital violence has structural consequences for our democracy: when people withdraw from debates out of fear of attacks, public discourse shifts. Polarisation increases, extremist narratives gain ground and democratic voices become quieter. In this way, digital violence restricts diversity of opinion and democratic participation.

Currently, I am particularly concerned about the growing number of cases of image-based sexual violence. Nowadays, it only takes a few clicks to create pornographic or nude images using AI apps. These deepfakes are often distributed online without the knowledge or consent of those affected. Young girls and women in particular are often exposed to this sexual violence online, with little recourse.

This is why we are advocating for binding platform regulation and the principle of safety by design. In other words, we want transparency, responsibility and protection to be built into digital systems from the outset. However, it is precisely these principles that are currently under pressure. Tech billionaires and right-wing populist figures are attempting to weaken regulation and reduce platform accountability. This endangers both those affected and the democratic public sphere as a whole.

A large part of your work involves getting social media platforms and political leaders to protect people from digital violence. You have achieved a lot since then. What are you particularly proud of?

Anna-Lena von Hodenberg: A landmark moment came with the Federal Constitutional Court's decision in 2022. At the time, both the Berlin Regional Court and the Berlin Court of Appeal ruled that politician Renate Künast had to tolerate serious sexist and violent insults. Renate Künast then filed a constitutional complaint. This was the first time that the Federal Constitutional Court had to consider what politicians must endure in terms of hate speech on social media. This was extremely important because social media is a public space with its own particular conditions. When someone is insulted in the street, it usually only remains within earshot of those present. Social media is different: content spreads rapidly and can potentially be seen by millions of people. This makes it an extremely effective tool for smear campaigns. In its ruling, the Federal Constitutional Court made it clear that we must protect politicians' personal rights if we want people to engage with democracy in future.

This ruling was a milestone. It strengthened the legal position of victims of digital violence and set standards for subsequent proceedings. It has made a real difference to the lives of many victims. We have made legal history, and I am proud of that!

The dominance of global tech companies, especially their influence on opinion-forming in Germany, is a cause of concern for many people. How do you think we can counteract this?

Anna-Lena von Hodenberg: This is about nothing less than how we want to shape the digital public sphere. Do the principles of democracy, such as human rights and the rule of law, apply there, or do rules prevail that solely serve the business interests of powerful tech companies? Several levers are required simultaneously: No single approach works in isolation; rather, regulatory requirements, platform design, educational measures and social pressure must work together. It is crucial that legal frameworks such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) are implemented and monitored consistently. The DSA is a law in the EU that obliges platforms to take more responsibility online and strengthens users' rights. The EU must not back down here. The DSA is only as effective as its enforcement.

However, laws alone are not enough: platforms must take responsibility when designing their systems. This is where the concept of safety by design comes in: systems should be designed in such a way that problems do not arise in the first place. Just as we would expect with any other product, protective mechanisms, transparent algorithms and effective reporting channels must be an integral part of the digital infrastructure, not extras that are added after the fact.