that the Germany of today is slowly creeping back to becoming the Germany of old? "Hack tools" verboten, anonymous email on the way out...

But google on the side of privacy? Thats a new one!

Which is the greatest threat to germans' privacy, Google or its government? Doesn't sound difficult to work out to me.

Nobody has any need whatsoever to be able to send anonymous emails.

If you don't want the recipient to know who you are, then you're almost certainly sending SPAM.

It would help greatly if all companies pulled out of the anonymous email market.

"Google is threatening to" obey the law "if the Bundestag goes through with new laws to ban anonymous email accounts."

Hmm, since when have we actually *wanted* US companies to act as though US law applies across the whole planet? I mean, it's a nice enough legal system, administered by nice enough people, but don't we have our own already?

"The federal internet surveillance legislation, which comes into force next year, could compel email providers to verify real names and addrsses in the name of fighting terrorism."

Isn't that always the excuse. A few shit leaders lose their jobs because of uncontrolled media, and suddenly the internet is to blame for everything and needs to be controlled!

It isn't words that create terrorists, it's injustices. By silencing opposing views you amplify the injustice. Not only do they face an injustice, they are not allowed to talk about it!

This is the wrong direction, we shouldn't create Inoffizielle Mitarbeiter again in Germany.

Why would it help greatly if all companies pulled out of the anonymous email market?

Do you think spammers all log onto Hotmail to send out their billions of messages?

Idiot.

"Nobody has any need whatsoever to be able to send anonymous emails."

No webmail provider has any need whatsoever to be able to hold a copy of your certified identity.

"If you don't want the recipient to know who you are, then you're almost certainly sending SPAM."

If you don't want a webmail provider knowing who you are then you're most certainly human.

"It would help greatly if all companies pulled out of the anonymous email market."

It would help greatly if Staatssicherheit would not post anonymously.

I'm pretty happy not having to provide verification for my details, thank you very much.

What if you are emailing someone with information that may be considered illegal, and the law leaves a lot of grey area?

The internet is the last chance we have for freedom, unless there is some sort of revolution. Have you not noticed how many governments are clamping down on human rights and freedom of speech in the name of terrorism?

I can personally see a positive side to it. All too often fraudsters are using these free e-mail services to sign up for products or goods using other peoples contact information. Yahoo, hotmail, gmail, etc etc. There is little chance of ever being able to track these people down at the moment.

I prefer to have more than one mail account from different providers.

Some I use for day-to-day things and a couple of other accounts I use mainly for on-line queries to companies or individuals that I don't know.

Sometimes I'd rather not like to have others know where I am.

In the real world you don't go around giving everyone a business card - do you?

(Spam reduction, keeps the phishing fleets in harbour*)

*damn, now you'll all know I'm not from the U.S.

The only reason you have an address for snail mail is to make sure they get to you, therefore why do you need a postal address for email when the email address itself is unique and routable?

I dont agree with giving my home address when registering for an email account, its totally not needed.

does this mean they will prevent WHOIS opt outs aswell?

Do you think these developments are specific to Germany?

The English, for example, currently slap a surveillance camera on every surface supporting one, not to mention the idea of coupling them with microphones to discipline passerbys, while the US and its "Homeland Security Act" take controlling their citizens to ever higher levels.

Western governments in general are currently in a trend of trying to control their populations with little regard to privacy.

Not to mention that this stunt by Google is only meant to deter from their own liberal views on how customer data should be handled.

Just ban email - that will sort out terrorists using it!! Problem solved! :)

German gov, you are starting to SUCK! ... this is the sort of thing I would have expected to come from state-side fanatic Bush.

For those who say we don't need anon email accounts - I get enough spam as it is in my email account from Spammers... after the introduction of this system it will be a week before I start having my home address and phone numbers sold to millions of business' from my limited number of verified accounts... the tide will be uncontrollable and unstoppable!

Oh, and how will they verify it? I am assuming that terrorists live in space and know nobody who actually live in the real world.. it would be easy to type in somebody's full name and address into a system... only real way to do this properly is verification through bank accounts like Paypal do for "verified status"... you have 0.??p deposited into your account, and the only way you become verified is telling them the amount by checking the banks system.... which is just stupid:

1 - you will need a bank account to use email (poor kids & poor people!)

2 - You can setup an email hosting package quicker and easier (so terrorists won't have a problem)

3 - The whole world won't adopt this sort of intensive system

A better solution would be to look at the undelying smtp that email is built on, and tackle terrorism and spammers that way!! Easy to say, harder to do!

> All too often fraudsters are using these free e-mail services to sign up for products or goods using other peoples contact information.

Unless a hosting company is required to send you a letter which you then have to reply to with a utility bill and your passport or driving licence (originals, of course, not copies!) in order to get an account with them, what's to stop the fraudsters from signing up to the e-mail account using the same information??

And if fraudsters are trying to buy goods, simply state that they'll only be sent to the registered card address instead of a "mail drop" which is equally untraceable.

Please, El Reg, check your facts before jumping on a Google bandwagon. The blame may lie closer to Home.

The draft German law discussed here does not explicitly 'ban' anything, although it does require ISPs to maintain records of the name and address of their customers, which, it is true, makes anonymous e-mail accounts impossible. However, in making this provision, the German law merely implements the provisions of the European 'Data retention' Directive 2006/24/EC (see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32006L0024:EN:HTML ), Article 4 (2) of which provides that the personal data to be retained includes

"(2) concerning Internet access, Internet e-mail and Internet telephony: [...]

(iii) the name and address of the subscriber or registered user to whom an Internet Protocol (IP) address, user ID or telephone number was allocated at the time of the communication;"

This applies to all 27 EU member states, not just Germany, so it is a little surprising that we haven't heard from Google about its shutting down Gmail to users in Latvia or Malta, or for that matter the UK (whose successive Home Secretaries, as I recall, were at the forefront of those who pressed for the 'Data retention' Directive in the first place).

Germany's ahead of the US? Who'd a thunk it?

If it's of any value, I encrypt it. If I don't want anyone to see it, I encrypt it.

I hope the next thing they outlaw is being a zombie, since that's where most of the spam comes from. Did anyone tell the Bundestag this little tid bit?

Best thank your lucky stars you do not live in France.

Over there, it's an offence to use encryption at all. The Gallic system deems you suspicious if you have anything to hide ... oh, and they also don't consider you innocent until proven guilty: You're guilty as soon as the state becomes interested in you, and you have to prove your own innocence.

Next to France, Germany *is* pretty tame - but that's no reason to try and play catch-up...

However, France has scored highest in the quality-of-life index for the last two years, way above us miserable sods (uk)