French government weighed social media and mobile internet block during protests

A plan drawn up before the 24 October protests

In the week before the 24 October protests, France's Interior Ministry contacted telecoms operators to examine ways of cutting access to social media, or even mobile internet, in specific areas. Politico reported that the aim was to stop protesters from coordinating, citing a government official and a telecoms employee. The idea reached the top of the government when Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wrote, in a letter sent on 22 October, to the heads of Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues Telecom. The letter, first published by the French digital outlet Blast, asked the companies to be ready to suspend access to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X if security conditions required it. Officials in the prime minister's office, the Technology Ministry and the Interior Ministry did not deny the measure or the letter when contacted.

Fear of a repeat of 17 October

The government feared that the violence of 17 October could be repeated or intensified the following weekend. During the demonstrations of that day, groups attacked shops and public buildings and clashed with security forces. Reporting by Politico found that the 24 October protests were far less intense, with fewer incidents recorded. Demonstrators gathered over the high cost of living and a lack of funding for education. In Paris, police used tear gas and water cannons after a march that had initially been relatively peaceful.

Why operators pushed back

Telecom companies raised legal and practical objections, and sources cited by Blast and RTL said the operators did not believe a block limited to mobile connections and specific areas could be implemented in such a short time. The plan provided, among other things, for restricting selected platforms through DNS filtering, a measure the companies said required technical preparation that could not be completed in time. Operators also warned that the block would not necessarily work, since users could bypass it with VPNs, while alternative apps such as Bitchat could keep some communication channels open without an internet connection. An employee of a telecoms provider, speaking anonymously, said that blocking social media in a single neighbourhood was technically impossible, and that cutting mobile internet would disrupt mobile payments, surveillance systems and emergency communications.

Arrests and the milder option

The government also considered a less radical step: disabling location-sharing features to prevent, for example, gatherings of people who do not know each other, according to an official in the prime minister's office. On Sunday, 25 October, the Interior Ministry said police had arrested more than 1,300 people during Saturday's nationwide protests and that 53 members of the security forces were injured. Earlier reporting had put the arrest figure at nearly 1,000. The ministry estimated that 410,000 people took part across France, including 110,000 in Paris, while unions put nationwide participation at nearly 800,000.

Nationwide410,000

Paris110,000

Nationwide

410000 people

Paris

110000 people

Data from the article text

Parliament's parallel track

Separately, Parliament is debating further limits on social media as part of a bill nicknamed 'who destroys, pays'. The proposal would oblige people who consciously took part in a revolt to cover the financial consequences of the damage. Other measures restricting access to social media are being discussed in the same parliamentary debates. The blocking plan itself was not put into effect.