French lawmakers expected to back new surveillance rulesMay 5, 2015 - 17:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - New rules to provide help for France's intelligence services trying to prevent Islamist attacks are expected to be approved by parliament, BBC News reports. The law on intelligence-gathering comes nearly four months after three days of attacks in Paris in January, in which 17 people were killed. The Socialist government says the law is needed to take account of changes in communications technology. But critics say it is a dangerous extension of mass surveillance. They argue that it gives too much power to the state and threatens the independence of the digital economy. The government says it wants to bring modern surveillance techniques within the law rather than outside any system of control. There will be a new watchdog to keep an eye on the intelligence services, which will have broader powers to look at classified material and handle complaints from the public. But none of this has satisfied the critics, who range from civil liberties groups to major internet providers. Their main worry is the way French intelligence agencies will be able to collect massive amounts of metadata from the internet - the detail of communications such as times and places rather than content. Critics say this amounts to a mass intrusion of privacy, which in the hands of an unscrupulous government could have worrying consequences. The law is expected to pass easily through parliament as - apart from some dissident voices - both the ruling Socialists and opposition center-right are in favor. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |