France unveils new counterterrorism and intelligence bill

The French government has unveiled a new counterterrorism and intelligence bill aimed at better preventing attacks, notably via a greater surveillance of extremist websites

PARIS -- The French government on Wednesday unveiled a new counterterrorism and intelligence bill aiming at better preventing attacks, notably via a greater surveillance of extremist websites. The bill, which had been in preparation for months, was formally presented in a Cabinet meeting just days after a French police official was killed inside her police station in what authorities are investigating as a terrorist attack. In a news conference, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the text will strengthen French intelligence services’ power to watch people’s online activities. Extremists “are using less and less phone lines and more and more internet connections,” he said.