The Zugangserschwerungsgesetz (Access Impediment Act, or ZugErschwG) was a German law that aimed to make it difficult to access sites on the World Wide Web with depictions of sexual activity by and against children (child pornography).
Some providers signed such agreements, but before any measures could be implemented, the government decided that a stronger legal foundation was required.
From the start, the project was the subject of intense political debate, in which the family minister gained the iconic nickname Zensursula – a portmanteau of the German word Zensur for “censorship” and her first name Ursula.
[1] Arguments were put forward that blocking was ineffective, it was seen as an introduction of censorship, and many legal experts believed the act violated the German constitution.
[2] The tide turned when federal elections in September 2009 led to a change in the government coalition.