Topic: Privacy in the aftermath of Paris (2015)

[kat]

In the wake of Charlie Hebdo, the French Government passed an aggressive surveillance bill [Bill info in Fr.] essentially granting broad sweeping authority to gather electronic data without the need for a Court (Judge) issued warrant. The Bill also grants authorities the ability to deploy what are know in the USA as "Stingray" devices to capture mobile phone traffic (they spoof cell towers redirecting traffic), again without the need of a warrant. This brings France inline with the UK and USA in terms of its overt surveillance capabilities. In light of the latest attacks should Citizens grant/allow even greater unfettered access to its affairs when the powers the authorities already have at their disposal were not enough to stop the events in Paris. How much access would be required to achieve that.

[ratty redemption]

good points. and if i remember correctly, even in orwell's 1984 they couldn't stop wars from happening. or rather, they didn't want to because it gave the governments the perfect excuse to have total control over it's citizens. it's disturbing how close our world is getting to that fictional dystopia.

[kat]

The problem with fiction is that it's written in a way that 'conspiracies' like that are easily read. Whilst we don't have that exact luxury in real life where it can be found, often in the sophomoric writings of the monied elites and power brokers of the world, their musings can be brushed aside with "the views and statements Mr. X wrote in his book are theirs alone and do not represent, nor reflective, our policies, or their position or abilities to perform their job within this Company/Party/Government/Agency". Or the shorthand "that's just a conspiracy".