The French National Assembly has voted in favor of a bill enlistingInternet cafes and free Wi-Fi networks in the “fight againstterrorism.” The bill orders operators of Internet cafe and freewireless access points to keep records of calls and connections made bycustomers in the same way telecommunications carriers and Internetservice providers must, and to make those records available to thepolice on demand.The bill, voted Tuesday, now goes on the Senate where it will bediscussed in December. The government has used special parliamentaryrules to fast-track discussion of the bill.Online activists reacted angrily to news of the vote.The Ligue Odebi, a coalition of broadband users, accused the Ministerof the Interior of wanting to introduce surveillance of all FrenchInternet users, with no judicial oversight. The bill “opens the door toall sorts of digital errors and threats to private life,” the groupsaid on Wednesday. Amendments to a number of existing laws are contained in the bill,including a law from January 1995 introducing new security measures,and one from June 2004 on the digital economy.In addition to the new rules on data collection by Internet cafes thebill requires carriers bringing passengers to France to hand over datacontained in their reservation and boarding systems. Civil libertiescampaigners in the European Union have been campaigning since May 2004to stop the European Commission from forcing European airlines to handover their passenger data to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.The requirements in the French bill apply to airline passengers, andalso to rail and maritime passengers. Other provisions contained in the bill include a widening of the use ofvideo surveillance, and the power to require the owners of privatevideo surveillance cameras to hand over images to the police. Inaddition, authorities would be able to order the managers of any publicspace — be it government office, museum or shop — to install a videosurveillance system. Failure to do so could result in a fine of US $175,000.The bill would also give police powers to set up permanent, automatedvideo recognition systems for vehicles and their occupants in borderareas, or temporary systems at any time authorities request then inorder to maintain public order.By Peter Sayer – IDG News Service (Paris Bureau) Related content news analysis DHS unveils one common platform for reporting cyber incidents Ahead of CISA cyber incident reporting regulations, DHS issued a report on harmonizing 52 cyber incident reporting requirements, presenting a model common reporting platform that could encompass them all. By Cynthia Brumfield Sep 25, 2023 10 mins Regulation Regulation Regulation news Chinese state actors behind espionage attacks on Southeast Asian government The distinct groups of activities formed three different clusters, each attributed to a specific APT group. By Shweta Sharma Sep 25, 2023 4 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks feature How to pick the best endpoint detection and response solution EDR software has emerged as one of the preeminent tools in the CISO’s arsenal. Here’s what to look for and what to avoid when choosing EDR software. By Linda Rosencrance Sep 25, 2023 10 mins Intrusion Detection Software Security Monitoring Software Data and Information Security feature Top cybersecurity M&A deals for 2023 Fears of recession, rising interest rates, mass tech layoffs, and conservative spending trends are likely to make dealmakers cautious, but an ever-increasing need to defend against bigger and faster attacks will likely keep M&A activity steady in By CSO Staff Sep 22, 2023 24 mins Mergers and Acquisitions Data and Information Security IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe