Can't Publish Security Warnings In France

from the shut-up-now dept

Ah, good old France misunderstanding the impact of technology again. While they didn't put a security researcher in jail for digging up a security hole, they did decide to fine him and make it clear that security researchers are no longer allowed to publish findings about security holes if they find them. In other words, the world is better off if only the criminals know about the security flaws, and people don't realize they're at risk. Consider it the "we're better with our head in the sand" approach to computer security. Also, this sort of ruling lets companies ignore security holes for longer, even if they do know about them -- in order to leave them open longer for scammers and criminals to exploit them.