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French lawmakers late on Wednesday, July 5, approved a provision permitting police to conduct surveillance on suspects by remotely activating the camera, microphone, and GPS on their devices, including phones, laptops, and other connected objects, following the deadly shooting of Nahel M.
Critics argue that the globalists are exploiting the incident to push their authoritarian agenda.
Part of a broader justice reform bill, this spying provision has faced significant criticism from the left and rights defenders, who label it as an ‘authoritarian snoopers’ charter,’ Le Monde reported.
The measure enables the geolocation of individuals suspected of crimes that carry a minimum of five years imprisonment. Moreover, devices could be remotely activated to capture audio and visuals of individuals believed to be involved in terrorism, delinquency, and organized crime.
Digital rights group, La Quadrature du Net, raised “serious concerns over infringements of fundamental liberties.”
“For organized crime, the police can have access to the sound and image of a device. This concerns any connected device: telephone, speaker microphone, computer camera, computer system of a car… all without the knowledge of the persons concerned,” the group said last month.
“In view of the growing place of digital tools in our lives, accepting the very principle that they are transformed into police auxiliaries without our being aware of it poses a serious problem in our societies.,” the group added.
“We repeat: if this text were adopted, it would radically change the paradigm of police espionage, by transforming all our computer tools into a gateway to monitoring us,” it concluded.
During a debate on Wednesday, Members of Parliament from President Emmanuel Macron’s camp introduced an amendment to restrict the use of remote spying to situations “when justified by the nature and seriousness of the crime” and “for a strictly proportional duration.”
The provision’s use must be approved by a judge, with the overall surveillance period not exceeding six months. Certain professions deemed sensitive, including doctors, journalists, lawyers, judges, and MPs, would not be considered valid targets.
Justice Minister Dupond-Moretti assured that this law is far from the “totalitarianism of 1984,” referencing George Orwell’s novel about a society under complete surveillance. “People’s lives will be saved” by this law, he stated.
Aside from surveillance, the Minister of the Interior in France announced on Sunday the country will restrict internet access in “certain” neighborhoods as the violence continues across the country.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the restrictions are meant to prevent the use of social media and other platforms to organize violent activities.
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