Comment by bontoJR | Hacker News Reader

Comment by bontoJR | Hacker News Reader

I used OVH services for a long time, very good customer support, best quality/price ratio for Europe and some of their machines are extremely good. It would be a shame for France to lose them.

France is known to be very interested in mass surveillance, but what scares me most, it's that the European Union seems completely ignoring the topic, leaving countries to deal with this topic. I am lucky to live in Europe, but outside the EU, so we don't have to deal with these strange regulations, but I am concerned about the impact that this law can have in a short-mid future with all other countries. I really don't want to see UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, etc... follow the France's example, starting to roll-out laws in the name of security and terrorism fight.

This must be stopped at a higher level (EU), because also other countries are extremely interested on this topic.

It's way outside the mandate of the EU.

I wouldn't say that it is completely outside what the EU is doing. The data retention directive was partially about this. The later annulment by the Court of Justice of the European Union for violating fundamental rights, to me, shows that some people in the EU actually cares about his.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Retention_Directive

Yes, exactly. The EU has the power to do something on this. Actually, when US was facing the Net-Neutrality case, most media questioned about what EU was doing about the same topic and they all pointed out that, according to many different lawyers, this is a field where the EU can interfere.

So, I don't have doubts about the fact that EU has the right and the power to do something.

Net neutrality is (with some imagination - even that was already stretching it) about inter-member state commerce, i.e. the common market. For surveillance that point is much harder to make.

"So, I don't have doubts about the fact that EU has the right and the power to do something."

Based on what knowledge or qualifications? Have you studied the structure and history of the EU? For example, can you say (without looking it up) what the difference is between a regulation and a directive, and what the difference is between the European Council and the Council of Europe? Because if not, frankly, you're not qualified to have a valid opinion on this.

The EU often waits it out and starts infringement proceedings. It gives more time to see how things are playing out in reality and also it's better politics.

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