A French bill has been passed that will reportedly allow the police to eavesdrop on suspects by remotely activating smart phone cameras and microphones, as well as accessing the GPS data on user's phones. 

The People's Gazette noted that the bill gives the authorities permission to access the geolocation of crime suspects. These details are part of a wider effort for justice reform, but it has been criticized as leaning too much toward authoritarianism.

This comes as French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly suggested that the French government should consider cutting off social media amid the race riots that have ravaged many areas across the country.

Macron’s comments come after ministers blamed social media platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, which young people have used to communicate and gather to carry out violence after a 17-year-old teenager was killed by police during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb, according to The Guardian. 

The report caught the attention of award-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald, who posted the article to Twitter, saying: “Every western government is actively planning how to censor the internet even more.”

“We need to think about how young people use social networks … when things get out of hand, we may have to regulate them or cut them off,” Macron said in front of 200 mayor whose areas have been affected by the riots.

“Above all, we shouldn’t do this in the heat of the moment and I’m pleased we didn’t have to.”