New year – new laws
2. January 2008
This is maybe a reply to Mathias Blog:
The new year brought a bunch of new regulations in Germany (or at least in some states of Germany as we have a quite annoying federal system which makes most things even worse):
- Smoking is now prohibited in all public buildings and all bars/restaurants/disco in Bavaria (and some other states while it is still allowed elsewhere). I like that much personally and it is sad that Germany is more or less the last country in europe having installed such a strict anti-smoking law.
- All internet traffic connection data in Germany is now stored for at least 6 months to fight
terrorismcivil rights. I always admire George Orwell for his vision as he died in 1950 not even knowing an “internet”. Anyway, there is a complaint of unconstitutionality and hopefully it will succeed. But for now, if you happen to use the internet in Germany – watch out.
Other than that the new year started quite good (on top of a church tower…). So, happy new year to everybody (excluding most politicians).
2. January 2008 at 16:20
> So, happy new year to everybody (excluding politicians).
Yeah, those bastards! They always get all the votes! This will teach them!
Or are you referring to the politicians that voted that anti-civil rights law only?
2. January 2008 at 17:05
It won’t usually hit anyone wrong… 😉
2. January 2008 at 17:47
So is it possible to configure my linux to avoid using anything routed through Germany?
2. January 2008 at 19:48
“All internet traffic connection data in Germany is now stored for at least 6 months to fight terrorism civil rights.2
Not quite. ISPs don’t have to start doing this until next year.
2. January 2008 at 20:16
Don’t worry about the smoking laws thing, Belgium and NL are still behind you 😉
2. January 2008 at 21:24
First, there was prohibition, then Hitler, followed by a world war.
Now, we have prohibition (discriminated smokers, because of radical non-smokers who can’t accept smoker and non-smoker rooms) …
2. January 2008 at 21:48
@Mårten: I don’t think that you have to. The only save the user ip relation for German ISPs (and probably some other data but it’s limited to german internet providers).
@anonymous: There were no non-smoker rooms anywhere! In some states smoker-only rooms are still legal – not in Bavaria though.
3. January 2008 at 5:20
[different anonymous]
While I personally despise people who smoke around others, and have severe allergies to cigarette smoke, I still think laws about smoking should not exist. A business has every right to decide what they will and will not allow on their premises. Furthermore, not every business that permits smoking permits it everywhere, and I’ve found plenty of places that seem to manage airflow and isolation sufficiently well that I cannot smell smoke from smokers elsewhere in the same building.