France Broadens Surveillance Powers; Wider Scope Than NSA

krakman writes "With the NSA disclosures, French media was 'outraged'. Yet they appear to be worse than the NSA, with a new law that codifies standard practice and provides for no judicial oversight while allowing electronic surveillance for a broad range of purposes, including 'national security,' the protection of France's 'scientific and economic potential' and prevention of ;terrorism' or 'criminality.' The government argues that the law, passed last week with little debate as part of a routine military spending bill, which takes effect in 2015, does not expand intelligence powers. Rather, officials say, those powers have been in place for years, and the law creates rules where there had been none, notably with regard to real-time location tracking. French intelligence agencies have little experience publicly justifying their practices. Parliamentary oversight did not begin until 2007."

Comments

Thanks

[Anonymous Coward]

Now everybody wants what the NSA has, and the next time someone brings up human rights, every dictator will brush off the criticism, and will be JUSTIFIED in doing so.

Re:Islam

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Non sequitur much? If a substantial portion (something between 30%-50%) of Muslims in France publicly profess that their loyalty to the Ummah is greater than their loyalty to they country they live in, given that French intelligence agencies probably follow the polls, I wouldn't fault them for profiling them out.

Outraged?

[bill_mcgonigle]

Are they really outraged? We know the French can get barricades-and-guillotines outraged, or at least their forebearors could.

Or is this more "I shall say snippy things at parties?"