Rechtsstand Herbst 202643 life situations645 topic pages41 roadmapsFree, no account

I am being insulted, threatened or exposed online

Hate comments, false claims, threats, a published address (doxxing), intimate images, stalking or a fake profile: how to secure evidence, file a report and a criminal complaint in time, have content removed, have your address blocked and where to get help.

The heart of the matter

Secure first, then report. When a post is reported, it is often deleted, and the evidence goes with it. So take screenshots showing the content, profile name, date, time and URL before any report. Do not delete anything yourself.
A report is not a criminal complaint. Insult, defamation, malicious gossip and the distribution of intimate images are, as a rule, prosecuted only on application. The criminal complaint (Strafantrag) must be filed expressly, within 3 months of learning of the offence and the offender (§ 77b StGB). Stalking and the endangering distribution of personal data, by contrast, are prosecuted ex officio.
Three tracks run side by side. In criminal proceedings, the police and public prosecutor's office investigate the person. Reporting to the platform is about having the content removed. Independently of that, civil law may provide for an injunction, deletion and, in cases of serious violations, monetary compensation.
Your address can come out in several places. A block on information from the residents' register (§ 51 BMG) helps against enquiries to the register, and an alternative address for service (§ 68 Abs. 2 StPO) helps against the investigation file. Search engine results can be removed; the content on the original site remains.
An emergency is not a report. In acute danger, call 110. Online police stations and platform reports are not meant for emergencies.

How the roadmap works. Answer the questions. Your roadmap is built from them. It shows what you should do immediately, which deadline is running and who can help you. Most important up front: in acute danger, call 110. Secure evidence before you report anything or have anything removed. This roadmap is general information and does not replace legal advice.

Your answers are not stored or transmitted; they only appear in your browser's address bar. Anyone who shares the link also shares the answers. Legal status as of November 2026: StGB §§ 19, 77, 77b, 126a, 184k, 185–188, 192a, 194, 201a, 205, 238, 241; StPO §§ 68, 158, 374, 376, 380, 395, 406e; Bundesmeldegesetz § 51; Gewaltschutzgesetz §§ 1, 4; TDDDG § 21; KunstUrhG § 22; BGB §§ 823, 1004; Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) Art. 16, 20, 21; GDPR Art. 12, 17. The government draft of a law to strengthen civil and criminal law protection against digital violence (cabinet decision 7 October 2026, BR-Drs. 590/26) is not yet in force.

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As of November 2026. The roadmap arranges general information according to your answers. It does not review an individual case, does not replace legal advice and does not assess your dismissal or any deadline as valid, met or missed. Whether an entitlement exists is decided by the responsible office; deadlines and amounts change often – check important details with an advice centre.

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On a decision, deadline, application or responsibility. You get an answer with the matching page, the responsible office and the next step, usually within two working days. No legal advice in individual cases, no sharing of your data.