Against the backdrop of mass protests, the French government examined possible mechanisms for restricting access to social media and mobile internet in certain areas of the country. Politico reports this, citing sources familiar with the matter, writes UNN.
Details
According to sources, during the week before the October 24 demonstrations, the Ministry of the Interior contacted telecommunications operators regarding the technical feasibility of blocking certain digital platforms.
According to the publication's sources, the aim was to complicate the coordination of the rioters' actions.
As reported, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu appealed to communications operators to be prepared for a potential restriction of access to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and X.
At the same time, government representatives did not deny the information about the relevant appeal or the existence of such a letter.
According to sources, the French authorities feared a recurrence or escalation of violent incidents. However, these fears did not materialize, as the number of incidents during the October 24 demonstrations was significantly lower.
One telecommunications industry representative said that the authorities primarily sought to restrict communication channels that could be used to organize and coordinate protesters' actions.
At the same time, according to sources, less radical options were also discussed. In particular, the possibility of temporarily disabling geolocation functions in applications was considered in order to make it more difficult to quickly assemble large groups of people.