New security database angers many in France
Sep 9, 2008
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) - A new French security database that could track anyone deemed a "possible threat to public order"—even minors as young as 13—has outraged privacy crusaders and put France's conservative government on the defensive.
Critics have collected some 130,000 signatures against the database—known by the acronym Edvige—which they contend is better suited for a police state than a modern European democracy.
President Nicolas Sarkozy sought to quell the uproar Tuesday, summoning his prime minister, national police chief and top intelligence officer for a special meeting.
Though Sarkozy stressed the crime-fighting benefits of the database, he ordered the interior minister to open immediate talks about it to ensure that it "protect freedoms," according to an official in his office. The official was not authorized to be publicly named.
Le Parisien daily's Tuesday edition quoted lawyer Jean-Marc Fedida as saying Edvige opens up "the possibility of tracking the entire population of France."
Edvige replaces an obsolete 1991 database that helped France's police surveillance agency track politicians, labor leaders and other activists—anyone who resorted to violence or supported the use of violence.
But Edvige goes further, gathering personal information on health and sexual orientation, dropping the minimum age for surveillance from 18 to 13 and casting a wider net, allowing security officials to track anyone considered a "possible threat to public order."
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