BERLIN (AP) ? Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has joined Pope Benedict XVI, President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II by launching its own YouTube channel to communicate with citizens.
Six months after Merkel’s spokesman broke the social media ice in Berlin by tweeting his first statement, the government announced Wednesday it was expanding to YouTube with regular updates and a chance for users to interview the chancellor directly.
Germany touts itself as a nation of innovators and technology, but often struggles to reconcile the Internet’s information free-flow with its restrictive data privacy regulations. Internet giants including Google and Facebook have frequently clashed with German authorities over privacy issues.
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Online:
The German government You Tube channel : www.youtube.com/bundesregierung