Germany’s armed forces have introduced a sweeping ban on filming and photography across all military sites, citing the risks of sensitive information being shared on social

media. The measure, in effect since late February, marks a significant tightening of previous guidelines, which had generally allowed service members to record and share videos with fewer restrictions.

A spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defence told reporters on Friday that under the new rules, soldiers must now obtain explicit permission before taking photos or videos. “This is about protecting operational security while still allowing personnel to be proud of their work and share aspects of it online,” the spokesperson said, emphasizing that the ban does not prohibit soldiers from maintaining a presence on social media.

Violations of the policy could result in disciplinary action or even criminal charges, depending on the severity of the breach, the spokesperson added.

The move comes as the Bundeswehr has increasingly leveraged social media as part of its efforts to meet ambitious recruitment targets. The reforms were first reported by the German newspaper Bild. Photo by ©Bundeswehr/S.Wilke, Wikimedia commons.