France passes sweeping new spying law

Paris

France passed a controversial new spying law granting sweeping powers to snoop on citizens on the same day that leaked documents caused uproar over US espionage against French leaders.

The law has been touted by the government as a vital update to ageing regulations dating back to pre-Internet days, and was overwhelmingly passed by lawmakers from both left and right, though with dissident voices among almost every political group.

Although it had been in the pipeline for some time, the proposed law gained added support in the wake of the jihadist attacks in Paris in January that left 17 people dead.

But it has been criticised by rights groups such as Amnesty International, which has described it as taking France "a step closer to a surveillance state".

France remains on high alert and is struggling to monitor the hundreds of young Muslims leaving to fight with jihadists in Syria and Iraq, as well as keep tabs on potential attacks at home.

The new French law allows authorities to spy on the digital and mobile communications of anyone linked to a "terrorist" inquiry without prior authorisation from a judge, and forces Internet service providers and phone companies to give up data upon request.