French Assembly passes bill allowing police to remotely activate phone cameras and microphones for surveillance
French law enforcement may soon have far-reaching authority to snoop on alleged criminals. Lawmakers in France's National Assembly havea bill that lets police surveil suspects by remotely activating cameras, microphones and GPS location systems on phones and other devices. A judge will have to approve use of the powers, and the recently amended bill forbids use against journalists, lawyers and other"sensitive professions," according to.
An earlier version of the bill passed the Senate, but the amendment will require that legislative body's approval before it can become law.pointed out the potential for abuse. As the bill isn't clear about what constitutes a serious crime, there are fears the French government might use this to target environmental activists and others who aren't grave threats. The organization also notes that worrying security policies have a habit of expanding to less serious crimes. Genetic registration was only used for sex offenders at first, La Quadrature says, but is now being used for most crimes.
The group further notes that the remote access may depend on security vulnerabilities. Police would be exploiting security holes instead of telling manufacturers how to patch those holes, La Quadrature says.Great deals on consumer electronics delivered straight to your inbox, curated by Engadget’s editorial team.
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