So, how do they plan on activating cameras/microphones? Backdoor?
France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
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Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#12There's a reason criminal rings buy crime-suited phones. Buying a cheapo android with the camera removed/disconnected is going to increase in Europe. Once again, I doubt this security measure will make anyone truly safer.
Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#13Do current smart phones support this? I can't imagine Apple being too keen on allowing this sort of thing. No idea about Android
The Apple sycophants really never stop here, do they?
Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#14This is apparently with the approval of a judge (though that's not always meaningful), when targeting crimes that would lead to 10 years imprisonment at least.
For now.
Wire tapping has been approved this way for ages the 'for now' trope is getting old, because in some countries laws do work.
Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#15As far as I know, the title is wrong, only the senate approved the bill. That's not enough for France to legalize anything The way it works in France is there's two chambers of parliament, the senate and the Assemblée nationale (that I translate to "the parliament"). Unless the law changes something in the constitution, the senate is just there to advise the parliament. If they'd voted no, it wouldn't have mattered.…
For someone who is unfamiliar with French law, is the parliament able to propose legislature (either by advocating in the senate or by pushing up to the senate)? Or do they only determine / vote on what becomes law?
Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#16> "[...] which would be reserved for cases of terrorism, delinquency and organized crime." Because of course it will
One of these things is not like the others
Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#17Do current smart phones support this? I can't imagine Apple being too keen on allowing this sort of thing. No idea about Android
I recently saw a green dot on the right corner during camera usage on android. Probably a (new) feature of android.
Unless the light is physically connected to the power line of the camera sensor (and most aren't), it's useless as an indicator of covert camera usage - the spyware can just not turn it on.
Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#18So, how do they plan on activating cameras/microphones? Backdoor?
Have you heard of hacking? Most police forces have offensive hacking teams by now, it's not much of a secret. Also there are some quite famous tools that aid in this.
Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#19> "[...] which would be reserved for cases of terrorism, delinquency and organized crime." Because of course it will
Lel Yeah with our current president you are considered a terrorist threat the moment you shitpost on twitter so no risk at all
Re: France legalizes remote camera and microphone activation in smartphones
#20Smart phone makers do not support this in their software (i.e. iOS does not provide some police spy dashboard), but there are many spyware-as-a-service providers like NSO Group (maker of the Pegasus spyware) that buy exploits and build a turnkey surveillance product. This bill simply provides a legal framework for LE to use such tools against French citizens.
This is probably the real answer - like most countries' attempts to change this kind of law it's about making something they already do legal, not because they want to do it in the future.