France won’t block public Wi-Fi or ban Tor after all

Public Wi-Fi networks and Tor won't be blocked or forbidden in France in the near future, even during a state of emergency, despite the country's Ministry of Interior reportedly considering it. Days after the reports on the proposal surfaced, the country's prime minister Manuel Valls said he had never heard of such requests by police.

"A ban on Wi-Fi is not a course of action envisaged," he said. Prime minister Valls also said he wasn't in favor of banning Tor, and denied any knowledge of the police authorities requesting a law to "require [service] providers to give security forces access codes." "Internet is a freedom, is an extraordinary means of communication between people, it is a benefit to the economy," Valls said. "It is also a means for terrorists to communicate and spread their totalitarian ideology. The police must take in all of these aspects to improve their fight against terrorism, but the measures we take must be effective."