French Court Orders ISPs to Block ‘Copwatch’ Site

On October 14th, a French court ordered local ISPs to block the police monitoring site, Copwatch Nord Paris I-D-F.  According to the New York Times, the site states its purpose as “monitor[ing] those who repress us,” and it shows videos of cops arresting suspects, taunting protesters, and committing violence against ethic minorities. The site had been criticized by both police forces and Interior Minister Claude Gueant for revealing personally identifiable information about officers, including their names, photos, and occasionally addresses. Gueant, who took up the case against the site, stated earlier in the month that the site “harms the personnel of the interior ministry and jeopardizes their and their families’ safety.”  Gueant originally requested blocking of only certain portions of the site, but ISPs indicated that this would be impossible because of their inability to identify the host or creators of the site.  Because of that, the court ordered that the entire site be blocked.
Some people have already begun to set up mirror sites to evade the impending blockage.

Due to the configuration of the Copwatch site, Herdict is unable to accept reports about that site.  We are looking into technical changes on our end that would address this situation.  However, in the meantime, feel free to tweet your experiences to @Herdict, and let us know whether you can access it and where you are located.

About the Author: mattlavigueur