French Law Enforcement 'Wishlist' Includes Banning Open WiFi, Tor Connections And Encrypted Communications

from the the-War-on-Citizens dept

Mon, Dec 7th 2015 5:56am — Tim Cushing

More bad news for French citizens. Not only were they recently attacked by terrorists, but now their government is using these attacks against them to strip away civil liberties and shift more power to police and intelligence agencies.

A document viewed by Le Monde contains several very concerning suggestions from government agencies on how to better combat terrorism -- starting with blacklisting suspicious people and detaining them with administrative police orders. (via Galou Gentil and Numerama)

That's only the beginning of the wishlist. The document is not, by any means, a formal presentation of future legislative issues, but rather the equivalent of an open "suggestion" box, which has now been filled with terrible ideas by law enforcement agencies. How seriously French legislators take these suggestions won't be seen until early next year when the legislature reconvenes.

Other suggestions from "local police and gendarmes":

Nonconsensual searches of vehicles and luggage (apparently without proper legal justification)
"Papers please" identity checks, again with minimal legal justification
Forcing those on the receiving end of administrative searches to give up DNA samples

From that point, law enforcement starts asking for more ways to control communications.

Banning open WiFi connections during a state of emergency.

It's unclear whether they're looking for a preemptive ban or simply a kill switch. Either way, the state of emergency in France has been extended, and may never truly go away. If so, the ban/kill would be as permanent as the state of emergency itself. Open or shared connections would be subject to criminal sanctions.

Blocking TOR connections in France
Identifying communication sources (including VOIP) in France and forcing purveyors to hand over encryption keys

Back in the physical realm, police also want the power to shut down roads to search for vehicles -- again with little to no legal justification. They also want a centralized database containing information on anyone renting hotel rooms or vehicles.

As Le Monde notes, some of the requests fall outside of the realm of possibility and several fall outside the constraints of France's constitution. But the latter is definitely malleable. The government can't do anything about the impossible but it can use the current state of emergency to carve more holes in the rights of its citizens.

How seriously these requests will be taken remains to be seen. The post-terrorist attack spitballing by law enforcement agencies almost reaches the point of self-parody. Le Monde snarkily notes that it's not sure if this wishlist was meant for legislators or for "Santa." But it also notes that the expanded-government-power Santa may actually be presiding over this wishlist, unfortunately.

Santa has a new name: State of Emergency.

Whether or not any of this makes its way into actual law, it still clearly documents the law enforcement mindset -- one that never stops looking for ways to expand its own power at the expense of the citizens it's supposed to serve.

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Filed Under: bans, encryption, france, going dark, law enforcement, open wifi, over reaction, paris attacks, state of emergency, tor

50 Comments

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The First Word

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Liberté, égalité, insecurité

—Anonymous Coward

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That One Guy (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 5:02am

TL:DR version:
"We'd love it if you could get rid of all privacy the french people currently enjoy, and if you could destroy any rights that they have that might impede any whims of ours that pop up, that's be great too." -French law enforcement and spy agencies
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Jason, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:07am

The government can't do anything about the impossible...
Impossible? Surely if the smart folks in the tech industry just put their minds to it then they'd find a way to make something happen. You know, if they really wanted to. They just need a little government prodding to do the right thing.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:12am

Soon the police will be the worst gang in the world for terrorizing people. Further this overreaction will further alienate them from the people, reduce the peoples willingness to give them the information they need to do their job properly.
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That One Guy (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:15am

Re:
They'd better get cracking then, the various governments have a serious head-start.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:21am

As I've posted elsehwere, they are targeting the wrong tools. They should be targeting the mobile phones of those on the 'wtach list', as these guys were already on multiple 'watch lists' well before the actions in Paris.

...So, to respond to the French 'intelligence' agencies, "Moral cowardice it is, then."
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:22am

Re: Re:
The governments are handing the security services everything that they need to become the puppet masters.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:25am

Massive Muslim Immigration -- a blessing or a curse?
If the Paris street riots weren't enough of a wakeup call, this is one more example of why France's policy of welcoming massive immigration from Muslim countries might not have been such a well-thought-out idea.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/17/5-facts-about-the-muslim-population-in-europe/
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:26am

The terrorists managed to smuggle actual physical weapons into France, and they think they won't be able to "smuggle" an app like Tor? Are French authorities this delusional?
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:31am

come on
somebody leak the real classified wish list
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:37am

Re:
"... they are targeting the wrong tools. They should be targeting..."

OMG
you sheeple still do not get it, do you?
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That One Guy (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:39am

Re: Re: Re:
Nonsense, they've raised that dog/intelligence agency from childhood, fed it only the choicest bits of liberties and the finest cuts of freedoms, the very idea that it would ever turn around and bite them is beyond belief. /s
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:39am

Re: Massive Muslim Immigration -- a blessing or a curse?
you can always read
"the camp of the saints" to find out for how long they have been thinking about this project
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:41am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
agree,
Frankenstein was the mad scientist, not the dumb muscle cop
I mean the "monster"
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kallethen, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:46am

Re:
They should be targeting the mobile phones of those on the 'wtach list', as these guys were already on multiple 'watch lists' well before the actions in Paris.

And what happens when everybody is on a 'watch list?'

Cuz really, our governments are heading in that direction.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:53am

suspicious equals carte blanche to get rid of anyone that has undesireable traits to those running things. Be they physical, political, religious, etc traits.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:55am

Re:
They already are.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 7:10am

"police also want the power to shut down roads to search for vehicles -- again with little to no legal justification."

It's France. French farmers have been blocking roads for years whenever they feel like it, and without legal justification. Surely the police everywhere have been shutting roads for years to chase terrorists, that hardly sounds new. The only new thing is adding search.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 7:24am

Re:
Seems like a spiral of societal decline: Further overcollection of information, will further the peoples unwillingness to share information, will make the police ask for more surveillance, will cause the politicians to grant further overcollection etc.
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TechDescartes (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 7:44am

He’s Coming to Town
Is a list to Santa less scary?
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 7:54am

Re:
yeah but you are missing the whole ingenious point.

They terrorists hate us for our freedoms (and not because we treat them or allow those that oversee them to treat them like scum, so we can get our hands on their oil). We know this for a fact cause the politicians tell us so and they never make shit up. BUT the politicians also have the answer,, TAKE AWAY ALL FREEDOM. Then the terrorist will have nothing to hate us for.

It's ingenious I tell you, defeat them by letting them win...
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Anonymous Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 7:57am

Small Graces
At least they didn't mention bread, cake or guillotines....yet.

Shhhh, don't remind them.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 8:19am

Re: Re:
Surgical strikes are better than destorying society.

Bin Laden said he didn't really need to do anything else to destroy the West. He was right.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 8:32am

Re: Re:
it is not because we deploy our infidel troops and corporations on their GOD given lands (and OIL)
and bomb their weddings...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 8:38am

Vive le Act Patriotique!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Roger Strong (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 8:41am

Re: Massive Muslim Immigration -- a blessing or a curse?
Nonsense. The Paris street riots were a product of welcoming massive numbers of people, not as immigrants, but as "temporary" workers. And then a generation later France had massive numbers of teenagers and young adults born in France who, lacking birthright citizenship, aren't even second-class citizens. And so they don't mix in with society, and you get enclaves and riots.

The United States (and Canada, and virtually all of the western hemisphere) has birthright citizenship, so we tend to avoid that problem. Europe is slowly adopting birthright citizenship too.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 9:11am

He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.
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Rikuo, 7 Dec 2015 @ 9:18am

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned once the ridiculousness of banning open wifi. What if I'm being held captive in a building by terrorists, a building that offers free wifi that's still switched on and I've run out of cellular data on my phone?
I might, in that situation, if I'm lucky, be able to use my phone to connect to wifi and use that as a communications channel.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 9:20am

Liberté, égalité, insecurité
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 9:22am

Re: Re:
you haven't heard about the leaks????

everybody is targeted already, EVERYBODY.

get out of denial and DEAL WITH IT.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 9:25am

Re:
yes, what about if I am in the middle of a false Flag attack and I could upload tons of high res photos and videos of what is REALLY happening instead of ...
the government ...
pre-produced photos and videos?

ooooooooooooooooooh!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 9:26am

Re: Re: Re:
he also was a CIA asset,
and a BUSH business partner...
but you already know that!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 9:29am

Re: Re: Massive Muslim Immigration -- a blessing or a curse?
it is exploding AS PLANNED,
there are millions of books about it, for example "the camp of the saints".

if you are disabled and cannot read full books,
then good luck surviving
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Roger Strong (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 9:50am

Re: Re: Re: Massive Muslim Immigration -- a blessing or a curse?
Ah, yes; the French equivalent of The Turner Diaries, a racist, xenophobic and paranoid fantasy novel widely revered by American white supremacists.

Thanks, but I'll survive by living in the real world.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 10:01am

Re:
He who sacrifices freedom for security get neither, slaves and serfs live at the whim of their masters.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 10:10am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Massive Muslim Immigration -- a blessing or a curse?
late news happen to match the 50 year old novel
exactly line by line
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 10:13am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Massive Muslim Immigration -- a blessing or a curse?
I am not saying such a novel could not be considered inappropriate or politically incorrect...
what I am trying to show is that proposing that such outcome happens by accident
and that EU governments do not have hundreds of scenarios talking about this outcome for decades...
is kind of sheep- ish
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Roger Strong (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 10:33am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Massive Muslim Immigration -- a blessing or a curse?
Except that it doesn't match at all, beyond "France exists, immigration exists."
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 10:47am

I'm TOR'ified because of what's going on in France
These people don't have a Clouseau.
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nasch (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 1:12pm

Re:
The only new thing is adding search.

That's a pretty big difference, don't you think?
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 1:45pm

so now we have 'The Peoples Republic of France'! i suppose the next thing is we will all be told what we can think, what we can read and what we can say! seems to me the 'FREE WORLD' is getting less and less free and it's basically all because of governments reacting in the ways they intended to, given their leanings towards Conservatism. their whole aim is to make the planet a giant business where nothing matters except making money for the very elite few. any and all laws that are supposed to protect the people, the wildlife and the planet are all being systematically destroyed, all in the name of profit!!
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nasch (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 1:47pm

I wonder how many of them think this will actually keep French people safer, and how many of them just want more power without regard for public good. It's hard to tell the difference between being misguided and evil from the outside.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:38pm

Re:
If you aren't willing to take some overage charges on your phone in that situation, then I advocate leaving you to the terrorists. You clearly deserve one another.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 6:41pm

Re:
It's hard to tell the difference between being "stupid" and evil from the outside.

Corrected that for you.
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Anonymous Coward, 7 Dec 2015 @ 7:24pm

Not Surprising
Remember, France welcomed the Nazis at one time.
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nasch (profile), 7 Dec 2015 @ 8:41pm

Re: Re:
If you aren't willing to take some overage charges on your phone in that situation, then I advocate leaving you to the terrorists.

Might there be carriers in Europe who completely cut off a customer's mobile data once he has reached his limit?

A better question than the original though, is what if I am not a mobile data subscriber at all, but I do have a wifi device?
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Dec 2015 @ 1:52am

Re:
one world order
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Dec 2015 @ 8:46pm

Re: Re: Re:
I didn't actually think anyone would take this seriously. But in response:

1. 911 (or your local equivalent) is always available on any phone, even if it's out of data or the screen's locked. Also, what mobile carrier would give up the ability to charge people insane amounts of money for extra data?

2. WTF? What are you going to do if you can communicate with people? Hello police, maybe you're not aware of this, but I'm being held captive by incompetent terrorists. Oh, you already know? Ok well uh... that's nice.
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nasch (profile), 9 Dec 2015 @ 7:21am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
I didn't actually think anyone would take this seriously.

It's not particularly relevant as it's such a tiny fringe case, but hey why not kick it around?

911 (or your local equivalent) is always available on any phone, even if it's out of data or the screen's locked.

Sometimes it can be hard to get through if there's a lot of crap happening like there was in Paris. I mean in the US anyway, maybe France's system is better.

What are you going to do if you can communicate with people?

I would imagine it would be invaluable to have a line of communication to a hostage. The hostage takers will only tell you what they want you to know.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Dec 2015 @ 2:10pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Sometimes it can be hard to get through if there's a lot of crap happening like there was in Paris. I mean in the US anyway, maybe France's system is better.

So if you're not trying to communicate with the police, who are you talking to and why talk to them? If we're now narrowing this down to somebody who knows a police officer and has their personal number on his phone then we're probably at the point where we can expect an asteroid to hit the building any second now.

The hostage takers will only tell you what they want you to know.

And why would they be more likely to inform the hostages of things they don't want anyone to know? Real life doesn't usually involve villain monologues, even if that would make everything more awesome.

Basically, either the hostages are being held under observation, in which case they'd prevent you from using your phone, or they're being locked up in a room somewhere, in which case they can't tell what's happening in the rest of the building any more than the police can.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Dec 2015 @ 8:50pm

The Paris attackers met thru Facebook and left an unencrypted cell phone in a trash bin. The San Bernardino shooters pledged isis-allegiance via facebook (as the attacks were happening, of course) and left an unencrypted phone in the trash at the scene. Notice a coincidence? If you believe 100% of the evening news then even with all these laws no attacks would have been stopped.

The intelligence services HAVE TO leave bread crumbs when carrying out false flags so the news folks will know what narrative to push. It's no coincidence they were all reported to be on Facebook. The social media connection justifies all kinds of existing and proposed spy programs. This connection is so important that with San Bernardino they ridiculously say the female shooter made her facebook pledge to ISIS as she was carrying out the attack. My point is these bread crumbs are essential to these false flag attacks meaning encryption will never EVER play a big part in any attack because the intelligence services carrying out these false flags need painfully obvious trails to lead the media and huddled masses to the desired predetermined conclusion.

If anything these laws would more likely be used to seal up any loose ends after aa (false flag) terror attack (confiscating video, detaining witnesses, blocking encrypted uploads from witnesses). None of you bothered to ask why cell phone video was nonexistent from the Paris attacks - I'm betting the targets of those 100s of raids carried out in France in the days after were people who's phones were stingrayed in the vicinity of the attacks and later tracked down. Russia released a boatload of evidence exposing Turkey's ISIS involvement a couple days before San Bernardino. Which did you hear more of? The news story that exposed our coalition partner (and NATO member) directly arming, trainging, and smuggling oil for ISIS with complete US complicity, or the bizarre shooting in Cali where three tall white guys in military gear turned into a husband-wife terris team with the 90lb wife facebooking while she slung a heavily modified assault gun?
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