Yes, that's my point. It caused little concern beyond a certain tech savvy community. That's why I wouldn't go as far as calling this a "large backlash" (even though I wish it was). Overall, my feeling is that the French don't react differently than the Americans on these issues.
I think your fear is entirely justified. The problem is compounded by the lack of tech-savy lawmakers, many of whom give the impression of voting on something they don't really understand to "do something against terrorism".
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Traditional media such as TV or radio talked briefly about it, but it was heavily discussed on online newspapers (eg, http://www.lemonde.fr/loi-sur-le-renseignement/), and websites were set up to protest and educate citizens, such as this one: http://ni-pigeons-ni-espions.fr/fr/.
Yes, that's my point. It caused little concern beyond a certain tech savvy community. That's why I wouldn't go as far as calling this a "large backlash" (even though I wish it was). Overall, my feeling is that the French don't react differently than the Americans on these issues.
I think your fear is entirely justified. The problem is compounded by the lack of tech-savy lawmakers, many of whom give the impression of voting on something they don't really understand to "do something against terrorism".