Does anyone know how this even works? Is the technology for this already in place?
Commented on this article in another thread
https://beehaw.org/comment/586170
Looks like there are caveats to this law:
You would need to be a suspect in a crime that has a punishment of 5 or more years in prison in order for the phone to be geolocated.
For video/audio you need to fall under the definition of organised crime or terrorism.
Sure, the issue is that, with no transparency, cops will use it even if they are just courios what they friends are doing. This is already known to happen in the US, where cops used it to stalk their SOs or even in extreme cases women they were starting to date.
If they already have the technology in their hands, there is no way to stop them.
Technically needs judge’s approval
They should also need it in the US. The issue is, that if the tool is in the hands of the cops, there is no way to check who they spied on (and therefore if they had warrant).
At least if it was executed by a comercial entity, they can check the warrants and be liable if they do it without one. But that is very likely not how it will be implemented. The cops will get the tools to do with as they please.
As an example, one state in the US (forgot which one) put in a law that requires the police to submit every data search warrant into a public database so that they could be audited by the public. After they compared the contents of the database to number of requests in companies transparency reports, it turned out there were over 5 times as many requests in the state then what was reported in the database, despite reporting being required by law.
I really hope the power isn’t abused. The second it is it will lead to more riots and even though I have in no way been directly affected where I live, it is a pain to get messages from friends abroad asking “Why is France on fire again?”
After a terrorist attack, emergency state was declared (nomally used in case a war actually put the survival of the country’s institutions in jeopardy). First use of the extra-powers: assign some targeted pacific climate activist at home so that there would not be a protest during the COP.
Anti-terrorism bill was passed some time ago. It was used to repress the protests against the retirement bill, literally banning anyone from carrying a saucepan in the street (ban of “noise emitting devices”) during a protest.
Climate protesters have been labeled “eco-terrorist” even though they never put nor attempted to put anyone’s life in danger.
France is under requests from the UN for fixing severe issues regarding right to protest, police excessive violence and systematic racism in the police force. France is taking a dire path, joining Hungaria, Turkey in authoritarism, maybe evolving to a clone of Russia, as there were hint of a will to change the constitution to let Macron run again after his second mandate.
I have 0 trust this bill is intended to be used for severe crimes. It’s another attempt to control and repress.
