France Likely to Enact Extensive New Surveillance Law

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 Assemblée 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.