New Delhi: As part of a larger justice reform bill, the French police will have the ability to remotely activate the microphone, camera, and GPS on suspects' mobile phones and other devices, according to AFP.

Though the spying clause has come under fire from the left and human rights advocates as an authoritarian snoopers' charter, justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti insisted it would only apply to "dozens of cases a year."

This new bill is being introduced at a time when there is intense violence throughout France as a result of the fatal shooting of Nahel M, a 17-year-old boy, by a police officer last week while conducting a routine traffic stop in Nanterre, Paris.

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The shocking incident was caught on camera and led to calls for a thorough review of the rules governing the use of firearms by law enforcement.

According to the news agency AFP, the measure would permit the geolocation of suspects in crimes punishable by at least five years in prison and covers mobile devices, cars, laptops, and other connected objects in addition to them.

Devices can also be remotely activated to record audio and take pictures of suspects in terrorism, delinquency, and organised crime.

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Wednesday's debate featured a proposal from MPs in President Emmanuel Macron's camp to restrict the use of remote espionage to "when justified by the nature and seriousness of the crime" and "for a strictly proportional duration."
Any application for the provision must be approved by a judge, and the total time of the surveillance cannot exceed six months.

In contrast, Dupond-Moretti said in reference to George Orwell's novel 1984, which depicts a society under total surveillance, "We're far from the totalitarianism of 1984."
The justice minister further stated that this new law "will save people's lives."
Additionally, it was discovered that delicate occupations like journalism, medicine, law, politics, and jurisprudence would not be appropriate targets.

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Didier Reynders, the justice commissioner for the European Union (EU), spoke on Wednesday in response to the ongoing unrest in France.
Reynders was quoted by AFP as saying to Belgian radio RTBF that it is "striking" that a "very high level of violence" was reported in demonstrations in France in the past years over the cost of living, pension reform, and the police killing of the teenager last week.