A new bill passed by the French Parliament on July 5 will allow police to remotely access suspects’ cameras, microphones, and GPS on cell phones and other devices.
The bill will reportedly only apply to suspects in crimes that are punishable by a minimum of five years in jail. Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti claimed that the new provision would only affect a few dozen cases per year. The bill also requires judge approval for any surveillance conducted under its scope and limits the duration of surveillance to six months. However, privacy advocates argue that the bill is too broad and could be used to target innocent people.
The bill’s approval comes amid a surge of demonstrations in France after the death of teenager Nahel Merzouk, who was killed by a police officer. Protests have spread across the country, and Macron, the French President, has vowed to shut down social media services, claiming that protesters are filming, publishing, and organizing on social media.
The proposal is reportedly part of a larger 60-point reform of France’s judicial system that is presently being debated in Parliament. The objective is to bring the outdated French court system up to speed with that of its EU neighbors. Dupond-Moretti also wants to spend more money on modernization, larger jails, and expanding the personnel, with the goal of increasing the budget to €11 billion by 2027.
The sources for this piece include an article in Gizmodo.
