Government and public statistics
Strafgesetzbuch (StGB) § 201: Verletzung der Vertraulichkeit des Wortes
Federal Ministry of Justice of Germany, gesetze-im-internet.de, n.d.
Read the originalRead on October 17, 2026
- What it is
- The official German federal text of Section 201 of the Criminal Code, which makes it an offence to record or listen to another person's spoken word without authorisation when that word is not spoken publicly.
- How much weight it carries
- The official federal government publication of the statute, in German. The English meaning given in our notes is ours, not an official translation, so read the German text or a certified translation for legal purposes.
Facts taken from this source
- Section 201(1) of Germany's Criminal Code makes it an offence, punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine, to record without authorisation another person's spoken word that is not spoken publicly.
“Mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu drei Jahren oder mit Geldstrafe wird bestraft, wer unbefugt 1. das nichtöffentlich gesprochene Wort eines anderen auf einen Tonträger aufnimmt” (Section 201(1))