A potential new internet security law in France could prove to be as far-reaching as the US Patriot Act. Image: Shutterstock |
Today the lower
house of the French Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of a new internet
security law in response to the Charlie
Hebdo attacks of last January. If
enacted, the law will allow far more government control and monitoring of
internet traffic, including requiring French internet service providers to
install “black boxes” that would track any suspicious activity and record
everything a user does online. The
information would be collected and monitored by the ARCEP, the French
equivalent of the FCC.
Some are calling the law similar to The Patriot Act in the US, though French lawmakers disagree.
“This bill is too
vague, too far-reaching, and leaves too many unanswered questions,” said
Amnesty International’s Europe director Gauri van Gulik. “Parliament should ensure that the measures
meant to protect people from terror should not violate their basic rights.”
Prime Minister Manuel Valls objects to the Patriot Act
comparison, saying that the new law is meant instead to update surveillance
laws that have remained on the books since 1991 and therefore don’t include
monitoring new technologies like the internet and cell phones.
Certainly France continues to face potential violence,
having received multiple threats from armed groups in other countries. It’s likely that these threats, along with
the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo
incident, led to the overwhelmingly positive response to the proposed law: 77% of the AssemblĂ©e Nationale approved it—that’s 438
votes in favor and 86 against. It’s set
to go before the Senate later this month.
In addition to the “black boxes,” the law would allow for
the creation of a new database of dangerous persons, new devices to record cell
phone calls, enhanced metadata collection, and more. Authorities will be able to collect and use
this data on anyone linked to a terrorist inquiry without having to get
authorization from a judge. ISPs and
phone companies will be required to give up their customers’ information if
asked.
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