The Assembly adopts a bill that promises to better combat cyber harassment

360 votes in favour, 77 against. On Tuesday 17 October, the National Assembly largely adopted, in first reading, the bill on the regulation of digital space (SREN), which aims to better combat cyber harassment, Internet scams and even the accessibility of pornographic sites for minors. The text had already been approved unanimously in the Senate last July.

Anonymity involved

The National Rally, La France insoumise and some majority parliamentarians had expressed strong reservations about the text, fearing that it violated public freedoms. After several weeks of technical debates, the government finally obtained the support of the republicans, the Socialist Party, most of the elected representatives of the Liot group and benefited from the abstention of the RN, Europe Écologie-Les Verts and PCF.

The general rapporteur, Paul Midy (Renaissance), took the opportunity of this text to make amendments aimed at reducing anonymity on the Internet, but encountered opposition from the government and a good part of the deputies.

The Assembly validated the proposal which will allow access to “Numerical identity » to all the French who hope for it by 2027, but internet users will not be obliged to subscribe to open an account on social networks, as initially wanted by Paul Midy and “almost 200 deputies” of the majority.

Another measure, aimed at imposing flat-rate penalties for “Public racist insults and defamation ” OR “ sexist ” In “The digital space » was excluded.

However, as summarized by our colleagues at Worldthe SREN invoice” gives an administrative authority the possibility to block pornographic sites that do not prevent minors from accessing their contents; assigns moderation tasks to large network platforms, under penalty of fines; creates a “social networking ban” penalty for cyberstalkers, including “provocations” to commit certain crimes “.

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