I know this has been touched on elsewhere on SF but the more I think about it the worse it gets
There must be a way to defeat this. How will they load the spyware?
Via the provider?
Force manufactures to include it in new phones or via software updates?
I was thinking about his - the articles says that the law would cover âother devicesâ such as laptops, tablets or - get this - cars.
For the moment the only way I can think of that the French government could make it work is to insist that every user of such a device in France is required to register it an install software that will potentially monitor them.
Hmmm. I disable GPS and use a GPS relocator on my phone, which makes it look as though Iâm somewhere else. Would they be able to defeat this ?
2 Likes
Like what happens in China ? or worse ?
I donât think Apple would but its much vaunted stand on privacy at stake. Only do updates through a VPN? Buy devices abroad? The carâs a sneaky one. All in all a bad law IMHO.
2x wrong != right.
Just because China places its population (or at least those that live in large cities) under surveillance does not make it right, or applicable to other nations citizens.
Yes, like the Online Safety Bill it seems to be a knee jerk reaction by people who do not properly understand the technology and in the guise of âstopping the terroristsâ or ânailing the kiddie fiddlers to a postâ (oh, wonât they think of the poor little children 
) winds up rushing legislation which is an ineffectual sledge hammer aimed at the wrong nut.
Anyone who wants to avoid tracking will buy a SIM outside the country, get an uber cheap phone without GPS or the ability to run apps and buy a non âsmartâ car (anything pre 2015 should do, so itâs not as if you need to sacrifice much comfort, speed or facilities).
2 Likes
Indeed. Exactly the point I was trying (and failing) to make.
It sounds like as suspected, the French version of the âsnoopersâ charterâ law, which has been in operation here âon a trial basisâ for the past few years (the UK rejected its version), is now being snuck into law.
A very, very sad day for French liberté especially if this is followed at some point by worrisome political changes.
1 Like
Does it really matter, since the world went to mobile phones and CCTV all over the place, computers, laptops, etc., we have been tracked for years and years. It will undoubtedly get worse but hey ho, thatâs just how it is. We all appear to love technology advancement when it suits us but hate it when it doesnât. Seems to me that is just how it is now⊠we are all being tracked and watched, way of the world
1 Like
Use of technology for surveillance and control of populations was a concious choice - it is not inherent in technology advances per se. The problem is that the âBig Brotherâ aspect was played down and no debate was had whether it is acceptable, even in countries where that would have been possible.
However it neednât have been the case, though I agree todayâs 20-somethings donât seem to be fazed by it - perhaps because nice technological toys are just todayâs Soma.
1 Like
Well, as I said, does it matter, todayâs young are happy as larry with it, so why fret. Let them get on with it. It will all just happen and we cannot stop it, no matter our concern. We canât change a single thing
I noted this part in the article (emphasis is mine)âŠ
During a debate on Wednesday, MPs in President Emmanuel Macronâs camp inserted an amendment limiting the use of remote spying to âwhen justified by the nature and seriousness of the crimeâ and âfor a strictly proportional duration.â Any use of the provision must be approved by a judge, while the total duration of the surveillance cannot exceed six months. And sensitive professions including doctors, journalists, lawyers, judges and MPs would not be legitimate targets.
This annoys me more than perhaps it should. Either everybody should be subject to it or nobody should be.
1 Like
This video by the Onion is over 12 years old but still makes me laugh 
4 Likes
Not with that attitude we wonât.
3 Likes
And why would we try billy? Itâs well well past trying to change anything. Far too late. Itâs not attitude, itâs fact is has happened already.
Gareth, you have that video spot on. 12 years ago (which to my mind is very late in the day regarding spying et al) we saw it and heard it but did nothing. Too late if it got to that kind of publicity.
Just let it go, as it will be and we cannot change it. It is here and now
They could make it illegal, if it isnât alreadyâŠ
I suppose what worries some about this proposed surveillance step is whether it will lead to something else.
For instance China, already well in with all surveillance and identification of their citizens, has a rather ominous practice of monitoring a personâs mobile tracking, not only for purchases but to record where they spend time. This data is âinterpretedâ to indicate the level of the citizenâs patriotic loyalty. Advantages and penalties in numerous things like school placement, licences, purchasing and entry restrictions are then imposed.
Monitoring and CCTV to protect the public from miscreants is one thing. To treat all members of the public as potential miscreants is quite another.
3 Likes
I always thought that you can be tracked by the phone connecting to nearby cell towers.
1 Like