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French Version of 'Patriot Act' Becomes Law
Taco Cowboy writes: Thanks to the Charlie Hebdo massacre and other instances of terrorism, the French legislature has voted 438 to 86 in favor of the "Intelligence Service Bill," essentially a French version of the Patriot Act. It awards the French intelligence services sweeping powers to tap and intercept any kind of digital correspondence, including phone conversations, emails, and social media.
The bill decrees that hosting providers and Internet service providers in France must be equipped with a "black box" that can retain all digital communications from customers. "The new law would create a 13-member National Commission to Control Intelligence Techniques, which would be made up of six magistrates from the Council of State and the Court of Appeals, three representatives of the National Assembly, three senators from the upper house of Parliament and a technical expert. ... The only judicial oversight is a provision that allows the commission to lodge a complaint with the Council of State, but lawyers are doubtful that it could be convened on a routine basis." We previously discussed news that ISPs may leave France in protest if the bill was passed. Now we'll know shortly if those ISPs will live up to their word.
The bill decrees that hosting providers and Internet service providers in France must be equipped with a "black box" that can retain all digital communications from customers. "The new law would create a 13-member National Commission to Control Intelligence Techniques, which would be made up of six magistrates from the Council of State and the Court of Appeals, three representatives of the National Assembly, three senators from the upper house of Parliament and a technical expert. ... The only judicial oversight is a provision that allows the commission to lodge a complaint with the Council of State, but lawyers are doubtful that it could be convened on a routine basis." We previously discussed news that ISPs may leave France in protest if the bill was passed. Now we'll know shortly if those ISPs will live up to their word.
Now it seems France will learn the hard way as well that giving up freedom never buys you safety.
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
Thinking about all those people that fought in the world wars for our freedom. I wonder if they would have fought if they knew their children would piss every freedom they fought for away in a generation.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
In any case, the french hosting company altern.org has announced it is definitely moving to Norway.
Their CEO left this message on their main page, here it is translated:
Maybe we deserve this world ?
Because the USA is also very religious. Faith and beliefs motivate good people to do bad things.
Thank you, Bradley Manning, Edward Snowden and so many others, for courageously defending humanity, my freedom and more!
Yet more accurately: faith is the very essence of 'not being able to realize when you're wrong'. Faith is about stopping yourself from questionning your beliefs. Nothing could be more antethical to the pursuit of truth and good.
Good, bad, whatever you're doing, if you can pause and ask yourself whether what you're doing is good or bad then you're already far above the basic zealots who won't pause nor ask themselves. And by zealot, I also mean the ordinary everyday-man, the Eichmann-sort that have faith in public/democratic authority figures, be they secular or religious.
You might want to review the Stanford Prison experiment. Giving someone power over other people and little accountability DOES turn people into bullies.
Maybe we deserve this world ?