This article was originally published in July 2010
Proposed bans on face coverings are a reflection not on Islam, but on European insecurity, says Myriam Francois-Cerrah
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The French Association of Internet Community Services, a group of more than 20 internet companies including Facebook and eBay, have gone to court over new a new regulation which obliges them to store extensive data on their users. The data includes full names, passwords and telephone numbers. Under the new law, Internet companies are obliged to share this information with French authorities as and when they are required do so. The Association has complained that the French government failed to consult with the European Commission prior to passing the law.
On 15 February, French opposition socialist and communist groups challenged the constitutionality of a new security law (Loppsi 2) by referring it to the Constitutional Council. They claim that Article 4, which provides for the blocking of child pornography sites, “does not provide sufficient guarantees against the possibility of arbitrary violations of freedom of expression”. The law’s opponents are concerned that the article could be abused for political reasons.
French ministers denied Tunisia was a dictatorship and offered Ben Ali’s regime police support to deal with the recent protests. Myriam Francois-Cerrah explains how France found itself on the backfoot
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