Paris

In what appears to be a major plot point of George Orwell's critically acclaimed "1984" novel, the French government has passed a law that allows police to spy on people through their phones. 

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As part of a wider justice reform bill, the French lawmakers in the National Assembly passed a bill Wednesday that lets police surveil suspects by remotely activating cameras, microphones and GPS location systems on their phones and other devices. 

A few caveats, however, have been added to stop the government from becoming a full-blown authoritarian state. To surveil any suspect, a judge will have to approve the use of special powers and the total duration of surveillance cannot exceed six months. Moreover, the said powers cannot be used against journalists, lawyers, MPs and other "sensitive professions". 

Notably, the Senate had green-lit the provisions of the justice bill last month. However, after the new amendments were introduced on Wednesday, the proposal will be sent back for approval before it can become law. 

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French minister denies 1984 links 

Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti shot down comparisons with the Orwell novel saying the law was aimed at saving people's lives. 

"We're far away from the totalitarianism of '1984'," said Dupond-Moretti adding, "People's lives will be saved by the law."

Although the minister claims that the law and its provision will only be applied to a 'dozen cases a year', the opposition parties and rights groups are wary that the Macron government is setting up a smokescreen for a 'surveillance state'. 

Calling the proposal part of a "slide into heavy-handed security", digital rights group La Quadrature du Net said the provisions "raise serious concerns over infringements of fundamental liberties". 

The group argued that police will be utilising the security vulnerabilities to target the dissidents. Moreover, it might use security holes to its advantage, instead of telling manufacturers how to patch those holes. 

Timing of the bill

The timing of the passing of the bill could not have been worse, experts argue. Currently, the entire country is facing a sea of protests after a 17-year-old was shot by police in a Paris suburb. 

Also read | France protests: Hundreds arrested as Macron appeals for calm; Mbappe reacts

After the incident, the turmoil across the country forced President Emmanuel Macron to postpone his state visit to Germany.  The state visit was scheduled to begin on Sunday (July 2) at the invitation of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

(With inputs from agencies)

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