A privacy rights group, La Quadrature du Net (LQDN) had filed a lawsuit against the use of camera-fitted drones that the French police uses during public protests in the name of maintaining law and order. As per this group, the police track individuals through these drones and they violate the privacy of people. This group also believes that these drones also violate the freedom of expression and people are unable to express their opinion in the presence of these drones acting as tracking devices.
The Council of State has issued an official ban and fine now.
France’s highest administrative court is also in the favor of the privacy advocates and has recently imposed a ban on the usage of camera-equipped drones during public protests by the French Police.
The Council had previously also imposed a ban back in May 2020, but the French Police ignored it and continued to use drones by saying that they are trying to catch people who were violating the COVID-19 lockdown protocols.
However, the recent order by The Council of State clearly bans the usage of any form of drones in public protests in the future.
The latest statement says that the Paris Police Prefecture is ordered to stop, without any further delay, any kind of drone-based surveillance that they are accustomed to for people and public gathering on the roads for protests.
Not only this, but the Council of State has also ordered €3,000 to be paid to the privacy advocating groups that have made all the effort to get their voice heard.
National Assembly’s Controversial Security Bill
On the other hand, the parliament has been discussing a controversial security bill which invoked instant protests upon its first reading in the National Assembly back in November.
The two most disputable parts of this bill are article 22 and article 24. Article 22 allows the police to capture pictures of members of a public protest or gathering using drones and even helicopters. Now, this is completely against what the Council of State has ruled out.
Article 24 is about the filming and photographing of police officers to be construed as a criminal offense.
A Slap For The Government
The privacy rights advocates and groups are calling The Council of State’s ruling as a slap for the government who is even considering the passage of the highly disputable security bill. The Council of State’s ruling now completely shunned all the legal legitimacy for anyone to ever authorize the usage of drones for public tracking or any other purpose unless it is absolutely necessary and allowed by the Council of State itself.
This is a defeat of all the people who were backing this security bill.
Parliament president Christophe Castaner promises to rewrite article 24 after initial public protests.
As per the La Quadrature du Net (LQDN), as far as article 22 is concerned, it automatically becomes null and void after The Council of State’s latest ruling.
MP Danielle Obono has also backed the privacy groups during the hearings by calling the camera-equipped drones an Orwellian tool that would have a mass destructive effect on the freedom of society because of its mass surveillance usability.
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