New French Spy Law Will Go Beyond NSA

A bill passed by the French parliament Tuesday would give its government the broadest surveillance powers ever—with practically no judicial oversight—just months after a brutal attack by Muslim radicals on a satire magazine and kosher deli. It’s an upgrade from the country’s last intelligence law, enacted in 1991, says Prime Minister Manuel Valls, and takes into account modern technologies. It “would allow the intelligence services to tap cellphones, read emails, and force Internet companies to comply with requests to allow the government to sift through virtually all of their subscribers’ communications,” according to The New York Times. The legislation predates the Charlie Hebdo attacks, but has gained increasing support following the massacre and is expected to easily pass in the French senate.