French Parliament Votes To Give Government Power To Block Websites And Social Media Services In State Of Emergency

Nearly one week after the terrorist attacks in Paris that claimed the lives of 129 people and injured about 350, the French Parliament voted to give the country’s government new power to block social media services and websites in a state of emergency, reported Agence France-Presse.

Under the amendment adopted by the French National Assembly, the Ministry of the Interior was granted the power to interrupt any Internet public communication service that enables acts of terrorism. On the other hand, it also removed a provision from the original 1955 act that permitted the government to censor the press, radio, films and theater performances during a state of emergency. The vote came hours after another vote that extended the state of emergency in the country by three months.

It’s not the first time that France has passed measures to restrict access to websites and Internet services. After the January terrorist attacks that struck the offices of the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo and a grocery store, the French government published a decree ordering internet service providers (ISPs) to block websites that contained terrorist and child pornography related content within 24 hours after receiving an official order from law enforcement and the government.