French authorities proposed to block social networks for calls for disorder n

The French government has proposed to oblige social networks to remove calls for rebellion within an hour of the request. Otherwise, access to the platforms could be blocked, according to Numerama.

The corresponding amendment No. 94 to the Law on Confidence in the Digital Economy (LCEN) was submitted to the French Senate on October 26. It provides that the authorities will be able to require operators to block the site, and from search engines to exclude it from the search results if the platform does not remove the specified content within the prescribed time. A preliminary court decision will not be required.

The measure applies to calls for insurrection, violent actions that threaten the institutions of power or territorial integrity of the country, as well as weapons against the state or part of the population. In addition, the amendment provides for the removal within 24 hours of direct calls for violence, theft and damage to property that can lead to a serious violation of public order.

For failure to remove such content during the day, it is proposed to impose a penalty of six months in prison and a fine of €150,000. For companies, the penalty can be up to 2% of turnover.

The amendment was included in the bill on compensation for damage caused by riots and damage to property in public places. The Senate is due to consider the document on October 27 and 28.

According to the newspaper, the French authorities paid attention to social networks after the pogroms on October 17 and 18 in Paris and other cities. Prime Minister Sebastián Lecornu has previously asked operators to be ready to turn off TikTok, Instagram (owned by Meta Corporation, which is recognized in Russia as an extremist organization and banned) and Snapchat during the action on October 24. Later, X was added to the list, but the lock was not applied.

In a letter dated Oct. 22, Lecornu noted that several social networks “played a crucial role” not only in spreading “illegal appeals,” but also as tools for “operational coordination of violence during demonstrations: organizing robberies, exchanging information about targets, relocating groups and locating law enforcement forces.”.

The new amendment should also lay down a legal basis for blocking a platform that would not remove the call for rebellion within an hour.

According to the French Interior Ministry, 410,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on October 24, including 110,000 in Paris.

Minister Laurent Nunez said that “the processions went smoothly”, despite “some cases of damage to property or looting” in a number of cities. According to him, about 1,000 people were detained.

On the day of mass protests on October 17, about 800,000 people took to the streets of France, after which the authorities announced the strengthening of police at the upcoming protests. Lecornu admitted that during previous actions, the actions of law enforcement officers were "too static and not mobile enough.".

The action was a continuation of the protests of high school students, which began on September 21 with the blocking of the Lyceum of Saint-Exupery in the suburbs of Paris. The students opposed the lack of teachers and the lack of social workers and school psychologists.