Paris: France wants to add exemptions to the European Media Freedom Act to make surveillance over journalists easier for national security purposes, the Politico newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The European Media Freedom Act, which is being discussed now, aims to ensure pluralism and independence of the media and to prevent any attempt by government agencies to interfere with the journalist’s work.
France is making last minute attempt to amend the entire act by adding a general exception for national security reasons, the news outlet reported, citing officials familiar with the matter and obtained documents.
In addition, under pressure from the interior ministry and intelligence services, Paris is pushing for an expansion of exceptions that would allow government services to install spying software on journalists’ devices, the newspaper reported, citing diplomats.
The move comes after the country’s Senate passed a bill that allows the government to remotely activate cameras and microphones of electronic devices if their owners are suspected of committing serious crimes.
A scandal over the Pegasus spyware erupted in a number of European countries last year. The program, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, is sold to state agencies only and is used to spy on individuals suspected of having links with the underworld and terrorist organizations. Pegasus allows not only to intercept conversations over mobile communications, but also allows access to information stored on phones and even to their cameras and microphones.
