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French prime minister says he's not in favor of banning public Wi-Fi or Tor

French prime minister says he's not in favor of banning public Wi-Fi or Tor

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Although leaked documents obtained by French media this week suggested the country's security forces had drafted proposals to ban public Wi-Fi and access to Tor in the wake of the attacks on Paris, France's prime minister has now come out against the idea. Manuel Valls, in an interview with France's BFM TV, said he had not heard of the requests, but that he would not be in favor of the bans.

In the interview, Valls called the internet an "extraordinary mode of communication between people," but also said it's "a way for terrorists to communicate." Nonetheless, he said he was not specifically in favor of the bans reportedly being considered.

The documents, obtained by Le Monde, immediately raised privacy concerns, and could have been formally presented as soon as January. Those proposals may now be off the table, but the country has already seen increased surveillance activities. This summer, following the attacks on Charlie Hebdo, France passed a controversial law — championed by Valls — that was widely compared to the US Patriot Act.