Such a chain letter spreads quickly on WhatsApp. Some of them are funny, some are bizarre, but some also contain false reports or threats of violence. And then not only the writing but also the forwarding can become a criminal offence.
According to the police, you are guilty of a criminal offense if the chain letters contain threats of violence (§241 StGB) or instructions for violence (§111 Paragraph 1 StGB).
“Horror” chain letters in particular can be punishable
According to T-Online, this is particularly about so-called “horror chain letters” that threaten very emotional and dramatic scenarios if the chain letter is not forwarded. This can be, for example, the death of someone close to you.
The police are currently warning about the so-called “Scary Goofy Challenge”, in which young people in particular are asked whether they want to “play along”. If the answer is yes, the children are given a task that can cause them great anxiety. According to T-Online, the state police crime prevention agencies advise parents in particular to prepare their children for such horror chain letters.
But it's not just children who are at risk from chain letters
We have numerous articles on chain letters that we provide information about. Many of them contain false reports and can also be dangerous due to their disinformation. Here we give tips on how to behave if you receive a chain letter.
Forwarding and possessing inflammatory content on a smartphone can also be punishable
However, you can also commit a criminal offense outside of chain letters on WhatsApp. According to Der Westen , it is also a criminal offense to share racist or inciting content on WhatsApp.
However, it is enough to save certain content on your smartphone and thus possess it, such as inflammatory images, in order to be prosecuted. The content does not have to be forwarded for this. If you receive such content in a group, you should delete it immediately, not just because of its inflammatory statements.
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Notes:
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