Report illegal content

Contact point and electronic reporting

Lukas Metzner, trading as Lukas Metzner IT, provides hosting for customer websites. These rules also apply to content on those customer websites. Our postal address is available in the imprint.

If you find suspected illegal content on a website we host, please report it by email to contact@it-metzner.de. Any individual or entity can submit a report; no customer account is required. The procedure is free of charge.

This address is also our electronic contact point under Articles 11 and 12 of the Digital Services Act (DSA) for authorities, the European Commission, the European Board for Digital Services and users of our hosting services. You can contact us in German or English. Enquiries are handled personally, not solely by automated systems.

What to include in your report

Please include all of the following where possible:

1. Exact location: the full URL of each affected page and, if needed, further details to help us locate the specific content.
2. Explanation: Which content do you consider illegal, and why? Describe the relevant facts and, where applicable, the rights affected. A legal opinion from a lawyer is not required.
3. Contact details: your name or the name of the reporting entity and an email address for follow-up questions and our decision.
4. Statement: “I confirm my good faith belief that the information and allegations contained in this report are accurate and complete.”

For reports concerning suspected offences under Articles 3 to 7 of Directive 2011/93/EU, in particular child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse material, you do not need to provide a name or email address. We can only reply if you provide electronic contact details.

We also review incomplete reports. Where necessary and possible, we ask for further details. Please do not attach illegal files; describe the content and provide its location instead.

How we handle reports

• If electronic contact details are provided, we acknowledge receipt without undue delay.
• Lukas Metzner personally reviews reports and other specific indications in a timely, diligent, objective and non-arbitrary manner. We do not use automated content filters or automated blocking decisions. We do not generally screen all customer content in advance. Technical security and availability monitoring are separate from content review.
• Where legally and practically possible, we give the affected customer an opportunity to respond before imposing a restriction. Where urgent measures are necessary, we may act without first hearing from the customer.
• We notify the reporting individual or entity of our decision without undue delay after making it and explain the available means of redress, provided electronic contact details are available.

Grounds for and scope of restrictions

Our hosting customers must have the rights and legal grounds required for the agreed use of their content. Where there are specific, substantiated indications of illegal content, we may temporarily block access to it insofar as this is necessary to protect legitimate interests or fulfil legal obligations. A report alone does not automatically result in blocking.

We act diligently, objectively and proportionately, taking account of the rights and legitimate interests of everyone involved, particularly freedom of expression and information. An entire website is blocked only if restricting individual items of content is insufficient. A block is lifted without undue delay once its grounds no longer apply. Removing content or terminating a service on content-related grounds requires an applicable legal or contractual basis.

In the event of a specific security threat, we may also take necessary, proportionate protective measures and temporarily restrict affected functionality. We inform the customer without undue delay; the restriction is lifted once its grounds no longer apply.

Explanations for affected customers

No later than when a content-related restriction takes effect, the affected customer receives a clear and specific statement of reasons in text form. It includes:

• the nature, scope, duration and, where applicable, territorial scope of the measure;
• the relevant facts and the reason for the review, such as a report or our own findings;
• the legal or contractual basis and an explanation of the alleged violation;
• details of any use of automated means;
• ways to remedy the issue and clear information about the means of redress available in the specific case.

We disclose a reporting person's identity only where strictly necessary and legally permitted. Specific legal information requirements and prohibitions on disclosure, particularly in connection with orders from authorities, remain applicable.

Legal redress

Recourse to the competent courts, including interim relief, remains available at all times. Our decision explains any out-of-court means of redress available in the specific case. If users suspect that we have infringed the DSA, they may also submit a complaint under Article 53 DSA to the competent Digital Services Coordinator; in Germany, this is the Bundesnetzagentur.

We inform our hosting customers of significant changes to this procedure. Changes to their contracts are governed by the agreed contractual rules; changing these notices alone does not replace any required contractual consent.