France is proposing a law to require encrypted Messaging Applications Including Signal and WhatsApp and Encrypted Email Services Such as Protonmail to Provide Law ENFORCEMENMENGEMENS Request.
An amendment to france's proposed “NarcotraFific” bill, which is passing through the National Assembly In the French Parliament, will require tech companies to hand over decrypted chat messages of suspected criminals within 72 hours.
The law, which aims to provide freench law enforcement with strongeer pores to combat drug trafficking, has raised concerns amon amon tech companies and CIVIL Society Society Society Grops that is the Creature of the Creator of “Back doors” in encrypted services that will be exploited by cyber criminals and hostel nation states.
Individuals that fail to complete face fines of euro 1.5 million while companies Risk Fines of Up 2% of their annual world turns Enforcement.
Back Doors would be exploited by criminals
Matthias PFAU, CEO of Tuta Mail, A German Encrypted Mail Provider, said that it was not possible to introduce back doors into encrypted services with fundamentally whekening
“A backdoor for the good guys only is a dangerous illusion. Weeking encryption for law enforcement invitably creates vulnerabilites that can – and will – be exploited by cybercriminals and hotile foreign actors. This law would not just just target criminals, it would destroy security for everyone, “He said.
Matthew Hodgeson, CEO of Element, A Secure Communications Platform Used by Governments, said that the company was concerned that the french proposals were not technically differently wide Weakening the security of message and email services.
“We are deeply concerned by. “Like the Online Safety Act in the UK, this French Proposal Shows a Deep Misundstanding of What is Technically Possible in End-to-Ed Encrypted Systems,” He Said.
“We will keep reepeting orselves until the message sticks – there no safe backdoors into encrypted services,” He added.
France LED International Police Operations Against Encrypted Phones
France has played a key role in hacking dedicated encropted messaging services used by drug traffickers, inclooming encrochat, Sky ECC, and Anom, Resulting in the Arrests of Thuresands of Thuxyands of Thousands of Thousands of Thousands of Thousands of Thourseands of Thourseands of Thourseands of Thourseands of Thourseands of Thoury Suspected of Drugs Trafficking and Money Laundering.
But opponents of the freench law argue that breaking an encryption application that is allegedly designed for use by criminals is very different from breaking the encypton of chat app and Signal, and encrypted emails used by billions of people for non-criminal communications.
“We do not see any evidence that the freench proposal is negassary or proportional. To the contrary, any backdoor will Sooner or Later Be Exploated, it is only a matter of time, “said pfau.
French Senators, Étienne blanc and Jérôme durainFirst Tabled the proposed law, entitled “Getting france out of the drug trafficking trap” in January 2024. The bill has passed it is first reading, and is du conside in committee on 4 March 2025 and Chamber of the National Assembly on 17 March 2025.
The amendment “Establishes an obligation for platforms to implement the Necessary Technical Measures to Allow Intelligence services to access the intelligence the intelligible content of correspondence and data transmiting throupsing throupsing theme”.
It requires French Intelligence Agency to Consult with France's National Oversight Commission for Intelligence-Gathering Techniques (CNTR) – An independent body that has parallels with the UK's Investigator Powers Commissioner's Office (IPCO) – to obtain authorizations to demand clea -text versions of encrypted messages from tech Companies.
Law Permits Police Use of Spyware
The law also permits the use of spyware soch as nso group's pegasus or paragon to allow police to remove activate microphones and cameras of mobile phones and comps, according to analysis by the creation Society Group, La Quadrature Du Net.
It also extends the scope of algorithms, Known as “Black boxes,” which collect data on communications over the internet with the internet with the International of Identifying People SUSPECTED of CRIMPECECTED OF ACTIRITY TOTHOROTY The collection of data for “Combating crime and organized crime.”
Police will also also have powerrs to censor or restruct access to web sites and content related to drug trafficking reported by members of the public through the Pharos Reporting System, If the Material is Considered Illegal, without the intervention of a judge.
The move has raised concerns from human rights groups that shared memes or jokes about drugs, or excerpts of films of films out blocked.
French law in conflict with eu and German privacy laws
Tuta Mail has warned that if the proposals are passed, it would put france in conflict with european union laws, and geerman it security laws, incurred Telecommunications Act (TKG) which require companies to secure their customer's data.
If france goes ahead with its proposals tuta mail, which provides services in bot france and geermany, would be forced to choose between complying with freench or german cow.
“German laws like the it security act and the tkg [Telecommunications Act] Force us to protect data and mandate that it systems must not be al aned in a way that security is weakened just for access by Law Enforcement. We at Tuta will not complete with any law requiring a backdoor, but geerman law also prohibits us from from doing so ”, say PFAU.
“The European Data Protection Supervisor Has clealy stated That any new measure restricting encryption must “pass the test of health and proportionality, based on substantized evidence”. We do not see any evidence that the freench proposal is Necessary or proportional, ”He added.
La quadrature du netA Non Profit Organization that Defends People's Rights and Freedoms on the Net, have Urged Politicians to Reject the amendment when it is discussed in the National Assembly in March.
The group said in a blog post in January that Civil Society Groups, Cryptography Experts and the French Cyber Security Agency AnsSiHave ben warning for years that accessing encrypted communications is not only technically impossible but contraindinges digital security requirements.
“End-to-end encryption is designed so that companies themselves do not have access to messages. Introducing Access (A “Backdoor”) would be waken the level of all communications and this is not provided for anywhere in the world, “It said.
The observator of liberties and digital technology (oln), a coalition representing, the freench lawers union, the magistrate's union, and human right for paraliamenians to reject The bill.
It has raised concerns that the bill prevents information about surveillance operations from being disclosed to defendants, Making it impsible for them to challenge
“The Persons Prosecuted would thus no longer have any way of knowledge or contesting when and how they were monitored, incliding therefore, in the event of potential about by the engineer services,”