French Parliament to Approve New Surveillance Rules

Local Editor

New rules to provide help for France's intelligence services trying to prevent extremist attacks were expected to be approved by parliament.

The law on intelligence-gathering came nearly four months after three days of attacks in Paris in January, in which 17 people were killed.

Furthermore, the Socialist government said the law was needed to take account of changes in communications technology. But critics said it was a dangerous extension of mass surveillance.

They argued that it gave too much power to the state and threatened the independence of the digital economy.

Though, the government said it wants to bring modern surveillance techniques within the law rather than outside any system of control.

There would be a new watchdog to keep an eye on the intelligence services, which would have broader powers to look at classified material and handle complaints from the public.

But none of this had satisfied the critics, who ranged from civil liberties groups to major internet providers.

In accordance, their main worry was the way French intelligence agencies would be able to collect massive amounts of metadata from the internet - the detail of communications such as times and places rather than content.

Hence, critics said this amounted to a mass intrusion of privacy, which in the hands of an unscrupulous government could have worrying consequences.

The law was expected to pass easily through parliament as - apart from some dissident voices - both the ruling Socialists and opposition center-right were in favor.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team