France’s Constitutional Council upheld a controversial surveillance law that permits intelligence agencies to gather metadata with the only necessary approval from “an independent body created to oversee surveillance activities,” The Wall Street Journal reports. Dissenters argue the legislation “undermines privacy and civil liberties because it allows a wide range of surveillance activities without prior approval by a judge” and that its “terminology … is so vague as to permit any kind of surveillance,” the report continues. However, the court did move to “strike down a provision … that would allow emergency surveillance without the approval of the prime minister or another minister in the government.” (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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