The Revolution Will Not Be Streamed: Digital Activism in the Era of Mass Surveillance
by Leila Matte-Kaci
On December 4th, 2020, the State Council of France expanded three decrees to widen the scope of police surveillance. [1, 11, 28] French police will now be able to track citizens or groups whose activities indicate that they might pose a threat to State or public safety. [1, 11, 28]
Before these decrees were expanded, only the activities of violent individuals could be tracked. [1] Now, police can track citizens’ social media activities, including their names, pseudonyms, comments, and pictures. Law enforcement can keep a file of citizens’ political, philosophical, and religious opinions, the name of their union, life habits, mental health history, movements, and sport activities. [1, 11, 24, 26, 28]
The amount of people who the government is able to surveil has also increased. No longer restrained to violent sport fans and protesters, the decrees include individuals or groups who are potentially dangerous and those in their social circle. [23, 26] Opponents of the decision have denounced the concept as too vague and worried over the risks it poses to democracy. [1, 11]
These expanded decrees come in the wake of the Global Security Law which in its initial form (it has since been revised) would have made it illegal for citizens and journalists to share images of police forces [16, 20], and after years of raging political protests headed by the Yellow Vests, Truth for Adama (France’s equivalent to Black Lives Matter, named after the late Adama Traoré who died in mysterious circumstances after being chased by police [6], and Extinction Rebellion. [3, 17, 25] These protests have led to displays of police violence so intense they were denounced by the U.N., Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International. [3, 22, 25] Given this context, one might wonder if the expansion of the decrees will be used to further quiet political opposition.
Surveillance
Government surveillance is nothing new. Totalitarian governments have taken advantage of Internet technology to track activists [9], install spyware into citizens and journalists’ computers [2, 21], and allow people to report social media posts to the police. [10] Just this year, the Indian government has arrested a group of young environmental activists and used information from their Google Doc as proof of their “crime”. [13]
But dictatorships are not alone in surveilling their citizens. People living in liberal democracies should not think they are immune. American police are already targeting activists over Facebook and Twitter posts. [15, 18] The German police similarly used social media videos to track down Black Block activists. [14] In France, the leader of Truth for Adama, Assa Traoré (Adama’s older sister) was put on trial for Facebook posts in which she blamed the police for her brother’s death. [19]
And do not think that Canada is any different. Thanks to Edward Snowden, we now know that the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) has once used the free Internet service of a major Canadian airport to gain access to Canadian citizens’ wireless devices in order to surveil their communications for weeks. [29] If you were one of the people to connect to this airport’s Internet service during this operation, the CSE may have kept track of who you were texting, emailing, or calling for how long, where, and when for weeks without your knowledge or consent. [29] And they are not the only Canadian governmental agency to be interested in using the Internet to keep track of citizens’ online activities. Internal communications obtained by the news magazine The Tyee from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) show that the RCMP has purchased software that allows them to search through (in their words) online “private communications” and “political protests”. [5] They also have in their possession a tool that gives them the ability to unlock Facebook friends’ lists that users have set to private. [5] Inside their internal communications, the RCMP refers to what it is doing as social media surveillance, despite publicly denying doing just that. [5]
High levels of government surveillance surrounding activism are unfortunately nothing new; however, France is formalising these surveillance practices by putting them into law and making them vague enough that it allows a lot of leeway on the part of law enforcement.
Why Should You Care?
People all over the globe have been rising up asking for an end to police violence [4], action on climate change [7], and greater access to civil rights. [27] The responses activists have been met with from the police and government have too often been violent. This is not unique to France, and if you have ever used the Internet to share your political opinions or join a protest, these changes to French decrees may serve as a warning for what may lie ahead in Canada or other countries.
Social media platforms, including Twitter and TikTok are not private living rooms where we can share our thoughts with friends. They are very much public spaces, and your friends might not be the only ones listening. Next time you are on social media, you might ask yourself the following prior to posting content about issues you care about:
- Am I prepared for the potential government ramifications I may face if I share content about this issue?
- Am I sharing photos of activists who could be identified, and I didn’t receive their permission to post?
- What information would I not want to share with the police? Did I make sure that I did not post it anywhere online?
- Could I share these ideas and plans with fellow activists without using social media?
The rise of the Internet has been credited with helping spread democratic movements. [4, 8, 12] The French government’s expansion of social media surveillance reminds us that the Internet, like a sword, has two edges, and we should be careful not to get caught on the wrong end.
How would you feel about the police going through your Twitter account? Are you ever worried about your privacy? And have you taken any steps to protect it? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
References
[1] Agence France Presse. (2021, January 4). La police pourra ficher des données personnelles. La Presse. Retrieved from https://www.lapresse.ca/international/europe/2021-01-04/france/la-police-pourra-ficher-des-donnees-personnelles.php
[2] Amnesty International. (2017, March 10). Azerbaijan: Activists targeted by ‘government-sponsored’ cyber attack. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/03/azerbaijan-activists-targeted-by-government-sponsored-cyber-attack/
[3] Amnesty International. (2019, November 18). Gilets Jaunes en France: Un bilan inquiétant. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.fr/liberte-d-expression/actualites/gilets-jaunes-un-bilan-inquietant
[4] Bort, R. & Aleah, K. (2020, December 14). Year in review: How Black Lives Matter inspired a new generation of youth activists. Rolling Stone. Retrieved from https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/black-lives-matter-protests-new-generation-youth-activists-1099895/
[5] Carney, B. (2020, November 16). ‘You Have Zero Privacy’ Says an Internal RCMP Presentation. Inside the Force’s Web Spying Program: ‘Project Wide Awake’ files obtained by The Tyee show efforts to secretly buy and use powerful surveillance tools while downplaying capabilities. The Tyee. Retrieved from https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/11/16/You-Have-Zero-Privacy-RCMP-Web-Spying/
[6] C.P. (2020, June 18). Mort d’Adama Traoré: Retour sur quatre ans de guerre des expertises. Le Parisien. Retrieved from https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/mort-d-adama-traore-retour-sur-quatre-ans-de-guerre-des-expertises-18-06-2020-8337900.php
[7] Harvey, F. (2020, September 25). Young people resume global climate strikes calling for urgent action. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/25/young-people-resume-global-climate-strikes-calling-urgent-action-greta-thunberg
[8] Huang, C. (2011, June 6). Facebook and Twitter key to Arab Spring uprisings: report. The National News. Retrieved from https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/facebook-and-twitter-key-to-arab-spring-uprisings-report-1.428773
[9] Human Rights Watch. (2019). Azerbaijan: Events of 2019. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/azerbaijan
[10] İbrahimoğlu, M. (2019, October 30). Informers help Turkish police social media crackdown. Ahval. Retrieved from https://ahvalnews.com/social-media/informers-help-turkish-police-social-media-crackdown
[11] Johannès, F. (2021, January 5). Le Conseil d’État autorise l’élargissement des fichiers de police. Le Monde. Retrieved from https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2021/01/05/le-conseil-d-etat-autorise-l-elargissement-des-fichiers-de-police_6065229_823448.html
[12] Kanalley, C. (2011, June 10). Occupy Wall Street: Social media’s role in social change. Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/occupy-wall-street-social-media_n_999178?ri18n=true
[13] Klein, N. (2021, February 27). India targets climate activists with the help of big tech: Tech giants like Google and Facebook appear to be aiding and abetting a vicious government campaign against Indian climate activists. The Intercept. Retrieved from https://theintercept.com/2021/02/27/india-climate-activists-twitter-google-facebook/
[14] Knaebel, R. (2019, July 9). Reconnaissance faciale, avis de recherche, vidéos: la vaste traque lancée contre les «Black Block» de Hambourg. Basta!. Retrieved from https://www.bastamag.net/black-block-videos-Reconnaissance-faciale-traque-Hambourg-violences-G20-G7
[15] LaChance, N. (2016, July 12). After Dallas shootings, police arrest people for criticizing cops on Faceboook and Twitter. The Intercept. Retrieved from https://theintercept.com/2016/07/12/after-dallas-shootings-police-arrest-people-for-criticizing-cops-on-facebook-and-twitter/
[16] Leclère, E. (2021, March 5). Le Sénat réécrit totalement l’article 24 de la loi “sécurité globale”. France Inter. Retrieved from https://www.franceinter.fr/le-senat-reecrit-totalement-l-article-24-de-la-loi-securite-globale
[17] Le Devin, W. (2020, June 12). Violences policières: le combat d’Assa Traoré relance. Libération. Retrieved from https://www.liberation.fr/france/2020/06/12/violences-policieres-le-combat-d-assa-traore-relance_1791144/
[18] Levin, S. (2017, May 18). Jailed for a Facebook post: how US police target critics with arrest and prosecution. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/18/facebook-comments-arrest-prosecution
[19] L’Express. (2021, March 3). Assa Traoré condamnée en appel pour atteinte à la présomption d’innocence des gendarmes. Retrieved from https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/societe/assa-traore-condamnee-en-appel-pour-atteinte-a-la-presomption-d-innocence-des-gendarmes_2145983.html
[20] News Wires. (2021, January 30). Thousands take to streets to protest against French security bill. France 24. Retrieved from https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210130-new-protests-in-france-against-security-bill
[21] Nex. (2016, December 9). How a hacking campaign helped shut down an award-winning news site. Amnesty International. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2016/12/how-a-hacking-campaign-helped-shut-down-an-award-winning-news-site/
[22] O.N.U. Info (2019, February 14). France: des experts de l’ONU dénoncent des restrictions graves aux droits des manifestants «Gilets Jaunes». Retrieved from https://news.un.org/fr/story/2019/02/1036341
[23] Pair, S. (2021, January 5). Trois questions sur les fichiers de renseignement que le Conseil d’État a validés au nom de la “sûreté de l’État”. France Info. Retrieved from https://www.francetvinfo.fr/politique/loi-sur-le-renseignement/trois-questions-sur-les-fichiers-de-renseignement-que-le-conseil-d-etat-a-valides-au-nom-de-la-surete-de-letat_4245551.html
[24] Petitijean, S. (2020, December 10). Trois nouveaux décrets très discrets élargissent le fichage de police. Sud Ouest. Retrieved from https://www.sudouest.fr/politique/trois-nouveaux-decrets-tres-discrets-elargissent-le-fichage-de-police-1639202.php
[25] Rall, K. (2019, July 2). En pleine canicule, des CRS aspergent des militants écologistes de gaz lacrymogène. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2019/07/02/en-pleine-canicule-des-crs-aspergent-des-militants-ecologistes-de-gaz-lacrymogene
[26] Sud Ouest. (2021, January 5). Opinion politique, santé, religion… L’élargissement des fichiers de renseignement validé par le Conseil d’État. Retrieved from https://www.sudouest.fr/france/opinion-politique-sante-religion-l-elargissement-des-fichiers-de-renseignement-valide-par-le-conseil-d-etat-1564208.php
[27] Tan, Y. (2020, August 1). Why a new generation of Thais are protesting against the government. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53589899
[28] Untersinger, M. (2020, December 7). Le gouvernement élargit par décret les possibilités de fichage. Le Monde. Retrieved from https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2020/12/07/le-gouvernement-elargit-trois-fichiers-de-renseignement_6062511_4408996.html
[29] Weston, G. (2014, January 30). CSEC used airport Wi-Fi to track Canadian travellers: Edward Snowden documents: Electronic snooping was part of a trial run for U.S. NSA and other foreign services. CBC. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csec-used-airport-wi-fi-to-track-canadian-travellers-edward-snowden-documents-1.2517881#:~:text=Politics%C2%B7Exclusive-,CSEC%20used%20airport%20Wi%2DFi%20to%20track%20Canadian%20travellers%3A%20Edward,documents%20obtained%20by%20CBC%20News.
Written by Leila Matte-Kaci
Edited by Rachael Bradshaw
Featured image Crowd of People by Amine M’Siouri via Pexels License
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