French Surveillance Program Like PRISM: Le Monde Report

[aquitaine]

So now it has been alleged that the French have a surveillance program that's virtually the same as PRISM.

PARIS (AP) — A leading French newspaper says France's intelligence services have put in place a giant electronic surveillance gathering network.

Citing no sources, the Le Monde daily says France's Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure, the country's foreign intelligence agency, systematically collects information about all electronic data sent by computers and telephones in France, as well as communications between France and abroad.

According to Le Monde, data on "all e-mails, SMSs, telephone calls, Facebook and Twitter posts" are collected and stored in a massive three-floor underground bunker at the DGSE's headquarters in Paris. The paper specified that it is the communications' metadata — such as when was call was made and where an author was when she sent an email — that is being archived, not their content.

Officials at the DGSE did not answer phone calls or emails seeking comment Thursday.

Did anyone really think normal governments don't spy on each other, even if they are allies?

 

[Evo]

Every country has it's surveillance, anyone not aware of that is naive beyond words.

 

[Cthugha]

So now it has been alleged that the French have a surveillance program that's virtually the same as PRISM.

The article you linked pretty much suggests the exact opposite and claims they are very different:

"Le Monde compared the French digital dragnet to PRISM, the U.S. National Security Agency program which has most caught the imagination of Internet users. But PRISM appears aimed at allowing U.S. spies to peel data off the servers of Silicon Valley firms — whereas the program described in Le Monde appears to be fed through the mass interception of electronic data bouncing across the world.

Also, PRISM can apparently be used to collect content, not just metadata."

I suppose, we will find out the full functionality and whether they are similar or not in the following weeks. I would be surprised, if the full functionality of that program has already been revealed.

Did anyone really think normal governments don't spy on each other, even if they are allies?

No, but I do not think that it is the purpose of PRISM and this system to spy on governments. If there really are governments discussing secret and classified stuff via Facebook, Twitter, Skype or mail, that would be an incredible display of incompetence.

 

[Buckleymanor]

So now it has been alleged that the French have a surveillance program that's virtually the same as PRISM.





Did anyone really think normal governments don't spy on each other, even if they are allies?

Thank goodness for that. There is nothing quite like having one your allies being caught firmly with it's fingers in the same cookie jar to divert the spotlight and mitigate your own wrongdoing.
Must be the reasonable thing to do!

 

[LudusRex]

This news about France's surveillance program is not surprising, as most countries have some form of intelligence gathering in place. However, the extent of the data collection described in the report is concerning. The use of metadata raises questions about privacy and the potential for abuse of power. It is important for governments to balance the need for national security with the protection of individual rights. This news highlights the need for transparency and oversight in any surveillance program, to ensure that it is being used appropriately and not infringing on the rights of citizens.