French Prime Minister Manuel Valls did not say "Oui" to the proposal by the police to ban public access to WiFi during emergencies.
The proposal is one of several measures that the French police wants to integrate into a bill to curb internet freedom in the European country in the light of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. Other measures proposed are the ban on access to Tor which allows users to enter the Dark Web and that encrypted communications providers give to government keys to backdoor entry, reports Le Monde.
Valls, who declared a state of emergency after the terror attacks, is not in favor of a ban on Tor and is unaware of any police request for backdoor access to services such as Whatsapp and Skype. The state of emergency will end on Feb. 26.
While the PM acknowledges that terrorists use the WiFi to communicate, he also recognizes that the internet is an "extraordinary mode of communication between people," quotes The Verge.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the man who led the Paris attacks, is believed to have used encryption software to plot the bombing, the New York Times reports, citing unnamed intelligence officials.
Tor has been blocked in China since 2012, while Iran and Russia are considering a similar action on the network. Meanwhile, tech firms and activists are also not in favor of backdoor access to encrypted data because it would negatively affect privacy and free speech.