Online Safety

You’ve come across something illegal online? Report it to us so we can have it removed and prosecuted. You’ll also find valuable tips for staying safe online in our help section.

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Report Form

You’ve come across something online that’s offensive or illegal? Report it to us so it can be taken down and, if necessary, prosecuted.

Link to the content

Please enter a valid url.
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What happens when you report something?

1.  Report

You report the content using our form.

2.  Review

We review whether the content violates our guidelines or German law.

3.  Inform

If there’s a violation, we notify the responsible platform or hosting provider.

4.  Report to authorities

If it constitutes a criminal offense, we file a report with the authorities in our own name.

5.  Remove

The illegal content is removed.

6.  Prosecute

The perpetrator may be prosecuted.

Netzmelden is your first stop for online safety. We work to ensure that illegal content such as hate speech, violent videos, abusive material, phishing sites, and fake shops is taken down quickly. To do this, we work closely with online platforms, hosting providers, and the police. Our goal is to make the internet a safe place for everyone.

 
Learn more

In our help section, you’ll find answers to your questions and practical tips on staying safe online and on social media. Whether it’s protecting your data, creating secure passwords, or spotting fake shops – we’ve got the information you need.

Go to Help Center

We regularly offer great workshops and events all about online safety. Meet us at major events like Gamescom or join our own sessions. You’ll learn how to protect yourself and others online and connect with like-minded people.

Events & Workshops

FAQ

We carefully review every report you send us to check whether the content violates platform guidelines or German law.

 

If we find a violation, we request that the content be removed directly by the platform. Thanks to our partnerships with many social networks, our reports receive priority handling.

 

If the content is relevant under criminal law, we file a criminal complaint in our own name. We do not share your personal data with the authorities.

 

❗ Important:
Please always report the content to the platform first using its built-in reporting tools before you notify us.

 

We also act quickly when it comes to harmful websites: we initiate measures to have them taken down and, if they are criminally relevant, we also file a criminal complaint in our own name.

 

Through Netzmelden, you can report any content that violates platform guidelines or German law. This includes:

  • Posts and comments
  • Images and videos
  • Livestreams
  • Entire accounts or profiles
  • Harmful websites
 

You can also report content from social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or Snapchat.

 

You’ll find an overview of all report categories in our report form.

 

❗ Important:
We accept reports about any social network and any website that breaks the law.

 

To process your report quickly and correctly, we always need the direct link to the content in question.

 

Here’s a quick overview:

  • Reporting a comment: Click on the date of the comment and copy the link that appears in your browser.

  • Reporting an account: If an entire account violates guidelines, provide the link to the profile.

  • Reporting a website: For harmful websites, we need the direct link to the specific page.

 

❗ Important:
On platforms like Snapchat, where you can’t get a direct link to individual posts, please provide the profile link in the following format:

If we determine that reported content or a website may be relevant under criminal law, we file a criminal complaint in our own name and do not pass on any of your personal data.
Your report remains completely anonymous to law enforcement authorities.

 

Netzmelden is part of the “Prosecute, Don’t Just Delete” initiative run by the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (Landesanstalt für Medien NRW) and the Central and Contact Point for Cybercrime North Rhine-Westphalia (ZAC NRW).

 

Criminal complaints related to hate crime on the internet are handled by specialized prosecutors at ZAC NRW within the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Cologne.

 
Didn’t find your question? You’ll find more answers here!

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