French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has asked the country's four major telecom operators to prepare to suspend access to social media sites.
Hot Topics
The request comes against the backdrop of protests and subsequent riots in several French cities on October 17 and 18, during which the government noted that social networks were used to coordinate acts of violence, from organizing looting to exchanging information about targets and tracking the locations of security forces.
In his letter, Locornu expressed his desire to have the option of temporarily suspending access to these services "in the event of a recurrence of urban violence."
According to the message, operators should be ready to cut off access "without delay" and "for a few hours" upon receiving instructions. The decision may be made over the weekend of October 24 and 25 "depending on the operational context," ensuring that the suspension is "as targeted as possible."
The mechanism relies on Domain Name System (DNS) filtering, which means targeting smartphones on mobile networks primarily, with the possibility of circumventing it by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or connecting to a Wi-Fi network.
------------------------------------------------
Italian police arrest more than 370 people during protests
Italian media reported that police arrested more than 370 people during protests in various Italian cities on Saturday.
According to data reported by the Italian news agency ANSA, police arrested 371 people, including 110 minors and 69 foreigners.
Protest demonstrations took place on Saturday in Rome, Turin, Milan, Florence, Bologna and other cities.
In some cities, clashes broke out between police and protesters.
Italians are protesting against government policies, high fuel prices, and inflation.
The protests in Italy have been ongoing for about a week, following similar demonstrations in other European countries , particularly France.