German pro bono work
Our team is involved in a variety of pro bono cases. We set out some recent highlights below.
Digital fundamental rights
In cooperation with the Society for Civil Rights (GFF), we are conducting proceedings to ensure access to effective legal protection in the digital world, including for associations and NGOs.
In the Goliathwatch case, we helped a Hamburg-based association critical of BigTech to reverse the arbitrary blocking of its Facebook page in preliminary injunction proceedings before the Hamburg Higher Regional Court (see here).
We also represented Filmwerkstatt Düsseldorf in proceedings against META after META blocked Filmwerkstatt's Facebook page without cause or justification. After the Düsseldorf Regional Court had already ruled in favor of Filmwerkstatt, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court also emphasized the limits of digital platforms in a landmark decision (see here).
Transparency in “Big Tech” and the public sector
In cooperation with the Society for Civil Rights (Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, GFF), we secured the right to access research data from X (formerly Twitter) on behalf of the Berlin-based NGO Democracy Reporting International (DRI). In interim proceedings, the Berlin Court of Appeal confirmed that DRI is entitled to the requested data access under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and may enforce this right before German courts. This data access enabled DRI to research “systemic risks” associated with the X platform in the context of the Hungarian parliamentary elections (e.g. foreign interference). The court's final decision is an important milestone for the enforcement of European platform rules and for civil society. You can find more information here.
We conduct various proceedings to improve transparency in the public sector, particularly in areas where the state cooperates with large private companies. For example, we represented the GFF in proceedings before the Hamburg Administrative Court against the Hamburg transport company to strengthen freedom of information vis-à-vis privately organised public companies.
In another case, we are demanding that the German Weather Service (DWD) disclose the specifications underlying the so-called bee flight forecast and the algorithm used. The background to this is that no authority should blindly rely on an algorithm that has been written once. Rather, it must be possible to trace how an official decision was reached.
Corporate Responsibility
Hausfeld represented the non-governmental organization ClientEarth in a complaint filed with the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) against a major German energy supplier for possible market manipulation in connection with the planned clearing of the Hambach Forest.
