French Conservatives Push Law To Ban Strong Encryption (dailydot.com)

Patrick O'Neill writes: The French parliament this week will examine a bill that would require tech manufacturers of computers, phones, and tablets to build backdoors into any encryption on the device. The anti-encryption bill is being presented by 18 conservative members of the National Assembly as part of a large "Digital Republic" bill. According to the article, The new French bill briefly praises encryption’s role in protecting user data but immediately pivots to criticizing the effects of strong encryption on state security forces. "France must take the initiative and force device manufacturers to take into consideration the imperative of access for law enforcement officers, under the control of a judge and only in the case of an investigation, to those devices," the legislation reads, according to a translation by Khalil Sehnaoui, a Middle-East security specialist and founder of Krypton Security. "The goal is to avoid that individual encryption systems delay the advancement of an investigation."

Comments

Will likely not pass

[Kilobug]

Please note that the conservatives don't have a majority in the Assemblée Nationale, so this law will likely not pass, at least under its current form. But it's also true that PS hasn't been the strongest defender of privacy and personal freedom, they did a few nasty things in the wake of the terror attacks of last year, so who knows exactly what will happen...

Because

[JasterBobaMereel]

The Paris terrorists used un-encrypted communications repeatedly prior and during the attacks ... so ... ?

Re: That is Le Pew

[Eunuchswear]

The point is moot because the French president obtained special powers after the attack in Paris until February to enact pretty much any anti-terrorism legislation.

No he didn't.

The state of emergency allows a certain number of police actions to be done on order of a "prefet" (an administrator) rather than a judge:

1. Banning of public gatherings.
2. Search warrants.
3. House arrest.

It lasts 3 months (so its nearly over).

Thats it. Nothing more, no power to pass legislation.