[1]http://www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=3193
   Threat to Internet freedom posed by new security law
   RSF has expressed its serious concern further to the French
   government's introduction of a bill concerning the general direction
   and programme planning of internal security (Loi d'orientation et de
   programmation sur la scurit intrieure, LOPSI). The National Assembly
   adopted the bill at the first reading on 17 July 2002. It outlines the
   present and future security policies of the Interior Ministry and
   government as a whole. The Senate will examine the bill on 30 and 31
   July.
   In a 29 July letter to French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, the
   organisation denounced "the latest step to be taken concerning security
   matters. [The organisation is] alarmed by the setback for civil,
   collective and individual rights brought on by this bill."
   "It is generally recognised that the Assembly's adoption of the very
   controversial Law on Daily Security (Loi sur la scurit quotidienne,
   LSQ) in November 2001, and the European Parliament's 30 May adoption of
   the disturbing amendment to the Directive on the Protection of
   Telecommunications Data and Information have already restricted these
   fundamental constitutional liberties. This bill threatens to simply
   erase decades of struggle for their establishment and preservation,"
   stated RSF Secretary-General Robert Mnard.
   "We deplore the general climate of surveillance that is introduced by
   the new measures submitted to the legislature ; the universal climate
   of suspicion that is encouraged by the fact that, henceforth, each
   citizen is considered a possible offender or terrorist, and the serious
   attacks on freedom of expression and the confidentiality of
   work-related and private correspondence. Our organisation specifically
   questions the possibility of guaranteeing the confidentiality of
   journalists' sources, to the extent that data from Internet connections
   and e-mail exchanges (Internet connection logs) could be requisitioned
   and examined with disconcerting ease by police officers," underlined
   Mnard.
   These concerns are amplified by the objective outlined in the bill to
   allow, "judicial police officers, acting in the context of an official
   investigation, and with a magistrate's authorisation, to gain direct
   access to computer files and enable the long-distance seizure, via
   telematic or electronic means, of information that appears necessary to
   the establishment of the truth". This excerpt refers to the
   authorities' licence to carry out off-property "searches" of Internet
   service providers' computer servers, which store logs of users' online
   activity, and automatically seize the information stored therein.
   RSF has, therefore, asked the interior minister :
   to specify the exact details of implementation under which the
   authorities will have access to data from Internet connections, sent
   and received e-mails and specify the policies governing the "seizure"
   of personal information ;
   to reaffirm his commitment to the protection of the confidentiality of
   professional exchanges, and especially the basic principle of
   confidentiality of journalists' sources
   to ensure, together with the Justice Ministry, that a sufficient number
   of magistrates who are experienced with these issues are given the
   means to deal calmly and impartially with police officers' requests for
   examination and seizure.
   RSF also renewed its 6 June appeal to Internet service providers,
   asking them not to retain user data, and urged Internet users in
   general, and journalists in particular, to use cryptography software in
   order to preserve the confidentiality of their exchanges.
   [2]http://www.w3perl.com/fun/misc/tetedscul.[3]html

References

   1. http://www.rsf.fr/article.php3?id_article=3193
   2. http://www.w3perl.com/fun/misc/tetedscul.html
   3. http://www.w3perl.com/fun/misc/tetedscul.html