The police will be able to remotely monitor suspects in serious crimes.
In France, parliament passed a bill that would allow police to remotely access cameras, microphones and GPS on suspects’ cellphones and other devices. This norm will be applied only in criminal investigations, where for committing a crime, the suspect may face a sentence of up to five years in prison, the newspaper reported. Le Monde.
The French criticized this draft law, calling it a “surveillance charter” that gives the police unhindered access to the location of citizens.
During the discussion of the draft law, the Minister of Justice Eric Dupont-Moretti said that the new provision will affect a limited number of persons: it is about a few dozen cases a year. During the parliamentary debates, a clarification was made to the draft law, which requires law enforcement officers to apply to the court for permission for surveillance, which they plan to conduct in accordance with the provisions of this law. Also, the duration of such monitoring was limited to six months.
In addition, parliamentarians provided that the provisions of this law cannot apply to representatives of such sensitive professions as doctors, journalists, lawyers, judges and deputies.
The adoption of the new law came amid protests in France caused by the death of a teenager shot by a police officer. Protests have swept across the country, with President Macron threatening to shut down social media, claiming protesters are using it to organize riots.
President of the country Emmanuel Macron urged tech companies to remove violent content and provide law enforcement with information about protesters who use social media to call for unrest.
