The government’s ways to regulate the Internet

The Internet cannot be a lawless zone. This is, in essence, the message hammered out by Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate in charge of the digital transition and telecommunications, who is to unveil, Wednesday, May 10, a bill intended to “secure and regulate the digital space” in the Council of Ministers.

In an interview with the “Journal Du Dimanche” , the former secretary general of the MoDem reveals the first outlines. The flagship measure is the creation of an “anti-scam filter”. Promised by Emmanuel Macron during his election campaign, this “simple and free” device will warn the Internet user when he connects to a site identified as malicious. It will take the form of a message that will come between the user and the site to avoid being trapped”, specifies Jean-Noël Barrot.

A proactive device

Among the scams concerned are identity theft, fraudulent collection of information, hacking, payment scams, etc. This system has the advantage of being proactive, argues the Minister. Because at this stage, the accompaniment of the victims of scams is done mainly a posteriori. The warning system could be supervised by an “administrative authority”, not yet designated, which will be responsible for noting an online violation on the sites concerned, understands the informed .

To fight against cyberbullying, a scourge that mainly affects women and sexual and ethnic minorities, Jean-Noël Barrot wants judges to be able to order the banishment of a cyberhar***er from a social network for a period of six months, and a year in case of recurrence.

New powers for the Arcom

Another hobbyhorse of the minister: the fight against ****ographic content on the Internet. “Two million minors are exposed to it every month,” he recalls. Technically, free sites often ask the age of Internet users. But in reality, few checks are carried out.

Legal proceedings targeting five sites (including ****hub or Xvidéos) are underway with a verdict expected this summer, recalls Jean-Noël Barrot. In addition, the Minister proposes to give Arcom [Autorité de régulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique] the power to order the blocking of sites that do not comply with the obligation of true age verification, without the intervention of a judge.