German court says that a male escort's privacy outweighs a female client's interest in getting money to support the child that resulted from the sex she paid money to get.

She only knew the man as "Michael," but there were 3 other Michaels in the hotel, and "Each of the four Michaels had a right to 'control their own data and protect their own marriage and family,' the ruling said.... 'Nor is it certain that the Christian name is indeed the name of the man in question.'"

The BBC reports, adding: "German privacy laws are among the strictest in Europe. It is partly a legacy of history — under the Nazis, then later under the communist East German regime, there was intrusive mass surveillance, with grievous human rights abuses."

All those Michaels. Not their real name, the court suspects. What's the best name for a male escort serving female clients? In Germany, it seems to be Michael. I can't comment on how that name feels to a German woman. If this were happening in America, I'd theorize that women paying for sex want a sense of normality, not exoticism.

What's a good nom de guerre for a prostitute? I cannot figure out a good way to Google that question. 10 different approaches have taken me down 20 rat holes.

Anyway, on the privacy issue, did the German court get it right? You may remember that I've supported court decisions that require men to pay child support even when they did not want the child to be born, but that was when the government wanted the father to pay, and the government's interest was in getting parents, rather than taxpayers, to support the children who are born. But this is a case where the woman is seeking child support and the government in the form of the court has decided that the interests of other people are more important. She can't figure out who the father is, and the government declines to help her.