14. 12. 2013

INTERNET CONTROL IN FRANCE TOO

France, December 14, 2013 (B92, Tanjug) - The French Senate passed a new law that will greatly expand the powers of the government to monitor phone and internet communications to counteract the massive U.S. spying on European citizens.

Companies like Google, Microsoft and Facebook, telecommunications operator, employer association ( MEDEF ) and the French data protection agency CNIL strongly opposed the new law, which was approved Tuesday in the Senate, which will take effect if signed by French President Francois Holand, officials said.

The law gives more authority to collect digital information , which have so far been limited to the intelligence agencies, the ministries of defense, interior and finance .

In addition to fight against terrorism, the information will be collected for national security, the fight against organized crime.

The measure, included in the law on the military budget for the next five years, allowing access not only to information about phone and internet traffic supplier of Internet services, but also to content, including web hosting. The measure also allows the monitoring in real time the location of the mobile phones. The measures that have so far been only temporary as part of the fight against terrorism will become permanent from now on.

Information can be requested without prior judicial authorization, as was previously required. It is anticipated, however, post facto monitoring of national supervisory bodies . The government argues that the law is required because  it strengthens the protection of civil rights .

Minister of digital issues Fleur Peleren said on Twitter that the law "strengthens the democratic oversight of intelligence activities" and that next year will be rounded off  by "a large digital law" that will include guarantees of civil rights .

"I think we're going towards a balance between operational effectiveness and the respect for freedom ," said Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in the parliament.

Opponents of the bill warn that it is too broad and violates the right to privacy . Starting of the  procedure of assessing the constitutionality of this law requires the support of 60 senators and 60 deputies of the lower house before the law is signed by the president, who must do so within 15 days of its adoption.

Lived Babine, French representative on the Committee for the Promotion of Digital Development in the EU, told the business daily "Eko" that the law gives the government far more extensive powers for the supervision then ones of which it accuses the U.S. National Security Agency ( NSA) .

"We have criticized  PRISM, but we go much further. Imposing a state of constant surveillance ," said Babine .