14 DAY TRIAL // Just a couple of weeks after Sweden's Pirate Party managed to secure at least one seat in the European Parliament, its German counterpart, PiratenPartei, has also succeeded in gaining one in its country's government. Jörg Tauss, a German politician, has left the Social Democrats Party (SPD) and joined the Pirate Party, thus providing it with a position in the German Parliament.
The politician joined the Pirate Party expressing concerns over some of the country's proposed Internet censorship laws. A censorship list was being put forward by German officials that would expand over several types of sites, and a petition had been started by the Pirate Party to stop the process.
Jörg Tauss, who has been a member of the Parliament since 1994, was welcomed into the Pirate Party as “one of the most experienced politician[s] in the country in the field of education, research and new media, ” and the party believes the move is the “culmination of a long chain of failure of the SPD in the field of civil rights in the digital age and shows a dramatic loss of their credibility inside and outside.”
The move isn't without its share of controversy, though, as the politician is currently investigated over charges of possessing explicit content featuring children. He has stated that the offending images were part of an investigation he was conducting, but criminal charges may be put forward soon. Still, the Pirate Party is showing its support for Jörg Tauss, at least until any official measures are taken against him.
The move is a clear win for the Pirate Party, which enjoys a growing popularity in Sweden, its county of origin, after the conviction of the four men associated with the Pirate Bay, with which the party has no official affiliation. The party has also recently won a seat in the European Parliament elections.